Richb

Does anybody happen to know?

Well, for example, we're traveling at 80 mph, and come up to a couple of cars. The Harleys twisted the throttle and were GONE. My RSV did get up to speed, but just not as fast. We were in a pretty tight formation so we communicate well when we're going to pass. I could see them twist and go. I would twist, wait, and gradually excellerate.

I just went on a 4 day ride around Lake Michigan with 5 other guys. All were on Harleys. A top of the line 2008 Ultra (Scremaing Eagle Pkge), a 2010 Street Glide CVO, A Night Train and two Fat Boys. I was on my 2004 RSV. The biggest noticable difference was lack of muscle in the motor, when passing another car. My RSV simply didn't respond a quickly as the Harleys. My RSV felt more like an old cadillac, it has muscle, but takes a while to engage it. Those Harleys twisted the throttle and the response was immediate. I'm praying for Yamaha to upgrade the motor, use Fuel injection, and upgrade the electronics (i.e. get rid of the cassette player). So much of the RSV is wonderful, that imho, the changes needed to make the RSV competetive with the Ultra or GW are within their grasp. It's really a shame.

It really does work great. So much so, that a couple of the guys I was camping with, ordered it too. I pack a little cooking spray and a wire brush, and I'm all set to use it. It packs fairly thin, too. Approx 3-4 inches thick. I get excited when a product ACTUALLY works as advertised! LOL!

Friends, I just came back from my annual 4 day motorcycle / camping trip in the Michigan U.P. and for the second year I've used this grill. I am not affiliated with them in any way, or do I receive any compensation. I just wanted to share this product with you as it works great and packs well. I hope it's useful info to some of you campers out there. Travel safe. http://www.adjustagrill.com/

I just bought the 855 too, and while I'm happy with it as a GPS, I was really diappointed with the sound quality of MP3's. I went back to using my ipod for music and my GPS for directions. The problem is, I can't fully hear the directions over the music. I even amped up the factory preset volume limiter from 65% to 99% on the GPS. However, I found that when I'm riding, I hear the GPS enough to simply glance at it for the next turn. So far, this method has worked just fine.

+1 on weight distrubution. See my rack experience... http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38582

My goal is to use both my ipod and GPS, but I want the GPS to overide the ipod, when is gives me a direction instruction. Here are two units that will do the job... http://www.mixitproducts.com/ http://www.tesseractcorp.com/ Neither are cheap.

Same process for me. Never had a problem.

I hear what you're saying...the answer is no, it never bottomed out.

I'm 45....these days I'll take ANY compliment!!

Correct. The rubbermaid container blocks the the license plate, so I had a plate holder mounted to the back of the rack to ensure I was perfectly legal. On a side note, during my travels in the UP, I stopped for gas and met 3 riders. Two on Harleys and the third on an RSV. I walked up to the group, and said, "finally...someone else on the road with a decent bike"!

Hey friends, I just wanted to share some pictures of my new "cooler rack" and share some info on it's use, fit, performance, etc. as I just used this rig on a 1,200 mile camping trip around lake Michigan. (we started in Chgo., crossed the "Mighty Mac" and camped in the UP then returned to Chgo, through Wisconsin) I hope it will be of some help to others, especially those who are new to using this type of gear. Also, I want to thank Sleeperhawk and Roadkill for taking the time to PM me with answers to some questions I had. I purchased the Venturedad trailer hitch http://www.venturedad.com/index.html (a fine product, and a fine gentleman, too) and installed that myself. Then I contacted Al's Motorcycle's http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/new_cooler_rack.html and asked him to build me a rack a little bigger then the size he offers. (Al too, is a great guy to do business with). My rack measures 18 x 20. I also purchased the optional tail lights and turn signals. Once I recieved those, I took them to a local auto shop where the owner is a rider, who has ridden with trailers and has a great deal of experience with motorcycles and trailers. He wired my RSV with a 5-Pin connector for the rack, and mounted it on to my bike. He then replaced the connector that Al provided with the corresponding plug. The result is a very neat, easy to use connection between the rack and my bike. In addition, I had the auto shop cut and weld a license plat holder, and add a plate lamp, to ensure the rack would be legal and visible. Loading the rack: I have many friends with a lot of riding experience, and as Al reccomends, they too, cautioned about overloading the rack. Not so much for strength concerns, but for the bikes performance and handling. As you can see in the photos, I used a large, Rubbermaid container to hold a cooler and grill. In addition, I also packed some basic condiments, and things I wanted to keep dry, like chips, and a 5lb bag of charcoal, etc. I did not pack ice, drinks, etc. as I knew those would be very heavy. The final weight on my rack was approx 20 - 25 lbs. RSV Performance: I test rode my bike the day before my trip, riding around town (countryside) and the bike performed and handled well. However, on the actual traveling day, I noticed that the front end had a little play in it, once I reached 80 mph, especially in the wind. I discussed this with my travel mates and concluded that my top cruising speed would be 70 - 75 mph. At that speed, the rack was not even noticable. Another word about wind, because I had that Rubbermaid container on, I definatley felt the cross winds a little more, when we were on open highways. In terms of cornering, at appropriate speeds, the bike felt fine. Using the Rack: The rack was a great purchase. Not only to haul gear for the trip, but once we were at our campsite, it was used to carry wood, ice, even haul garbage to the camp dumpster. Our last night, we went into town for pizza, which I strapped to the rack for my delivery back to the campsite! In addition, once at the campsite, the Rubbermaid container was emptied and used for additional storage. It was very useful. Final Thoughts: Using a cooler rack for travel was extremely useful. The guys I camped with have thousands of miles of experience (traveling all across the US and Mexico) and were a little leery of the rack set up, and it's effect on the RSV's performance however, they were soon sold on it's use and functionality. It is important to keep in mind weight. I STRONGLY reccomend that you keep weight to a minimum and test drive you bike, fully loaded before your trip, so you have a real sense of the bikes handling. Also, if you plan on ordering a rack of a custom size, I reccomend that you find your ideal container first, then have the rack built to accomodate it's size. Below is a link to some pics. If anyone has additional questions on my rig, send a PM and I'll try to answer your questions. http://s470.photobucket.com/albums/rr64/stayintune/Rack/

Bought mine a month ago. Quality build, perfect fit, honorable businessman. I highly endose venturedad's hitch.

Interesting question. First, Canadian Rider...my best wishes to you. Back to topic. I will turn 45 in August. I have worked fulltime since I was 19. ( I work in finance /sales analytics). I have been married 20 years to my wonderful bride and we are blessed with two outstanding teenage daughters. Without doubt, I am the luckiest guy in the world. I've ridden motorcycles for several years, but this is the first year I am going camping with my RSV. (Two trips already planed for this summer). I also play lead guitar in a local "Spanglish" rock band. www.spittnllamas.com Co-workers (especially men) who are my age, are amazed that I do these things. I am often asked..."how do you do that", when do you do that", etc. My answer is..."I choose to do it". When I ask these same men what they do with their time outside of work, the answer is usually, "nothing". That's sad. I try to find balance between being a responsible husband, father, breadwinner, and being a "biker", and guitar player. You see, I realized a few years ago that I am in the 2nd half of the game. It's time to start checking things off the list, while the list is still within reach. My heart goes out to anyone who is losing grasp of the list, but maybe even more-so to those who never took the time to create a list. Best wishes to everyone on this forum who are working a list. To quote John Melloncamp..."Your life is now".

I just bought this... http://www.rei.com/product/767241 I'm 6' tall and can just about stand up in it. Aluminum poles, bath tub floor, two doors / windows, & goes together very easy and actuallly folds up in the carrying case that comes with it.

Thanks for the input. I'll start price shopping. A few members suggest I do it myself. You have to understand, I have minimal mechanical skills. ( fact is, I hate doing that kind of stuff becuase it never makes sense to me, I do change oil, & plugs, though) Buying a tool set makes me no more of a mechanic then a mechanic buying a piano and being a pianist. I can play the mechanical equivelance of "chop sticks"! BTW...I do play guitar:guitarist 2: Thanks again! If I find a good price, I'll post for anyone else who is "mechanically challenged".

What can I expect to pay for the 16K mile scheduled maintanence? Thanks for any insight. BTW..I am useless as a mechanic, so don't even bother with DIY.

Doesn't matter to me. I like to think my maker doesn't worry about referincing Him/Her on coins, buildings, etc. but rather, am I referencing Him/Her in my heart and in my actions. BTW, I appreciate that what can be a touchy subject, is approached on this forum with respect for one another's beliefs. This is a good group of folks.

I am a long time Rush fan. I too, saw the Sankes & Arrows tour. As a musician, in a band, I am inspired by how good three guys can be. Just awesome. For you Rush / Neil Peart fans, here is a great story behind the song "Red Barchetta". This is one of my all time favorite songs. It's from their Moving Pictures album. Enjoy... http://www.bmwbmw.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8693&p=129840&hilit=red+barchetta#p129840

Thanks for all the input guys. I do appreciate it. Squidly, if you happen to find that other rack info. please post it or PM me. Sleeperhawk, I really like your set up. Looks Great. Is it possible to get a closeup photo of the lights and the hitch? Friesman1, I have seen the Rivco products and I like the quick release system. Very tempting. Thanks again for everyones help. I hope I can pay ya back someday!

I looked at venturedad's hitch as well, and asked him if Al's cooler rack would fit. Here is Venturedad's reply... "The cooler rack I saw won't work but they may sell one that does? The one you are looking for will have an 1-1/4" square bar sticking out towards the bike that sticks into the reciever and is held in place with a 1/2" pin." This is why I am asking anyone who is using Al's cooler rack for the specific model of hitch they are using. I love the apparent simple install of venturedad's hitch, but according to him it won't work with Al's cooler rack. In general (if I understand correctly) the hitch and the rack have to have accomodating male / female diameters to fit. Correct? Or is this where I am confused?

This is where I need help. Which trailer hitch reciever will accomodate Al's Cooler rack"? I know nothing about hitchs, except that I have to put one on my bike, in order to use the cooler rack. Te question remains...which specific hitch will accomodate my 2004 RSV and Al's cooler? Thanks!!

If anyone out there is using "Al's Cooler Rack"...(see link below) http://www.alsmotorcycleaccessories.com/new_cooler_rack.html with their 2nd gen RSV, can you please tell me the specific trailer hitch you're using with it? I am really interested in getting one, but I am unclear on which hitch to get. Thanks for any help. I appreciate it. Rich

I don't want to see anybody ( union or not) lose their job. But common sense dictates that EVERY job has a maximum dollar value. Also, I would never take away someones current benefit plain, ie., a retired employee should get the benefits they were promised. Having said that, I think private industry (GM) and goverment jobs need to change the benefit structure for NEW HIRES. This way, currents agreements are not adversely effected and yet, new hires fully understand the pay and benefits of a potential employer. Then they can decide if it's a job they want. BTW, when I say government jobs, I mean political positions too. Counselman, Mayor, Govoner, Senator, etc. No more pensions. Let them risk their money in a 401K like everyone else!!