uncledj

Rode my old Nighthawk S about 15 miles once in single digit temps. I won't do it again..lol... No fairing, no heated grips or seat and just jeans and a winter coat and cotton gloves. I was just trying to move it for storage, but 'bout froze to death. That wind while rolling cuts right through "normal" clothing.

Wishing a very happy Thanksgiving to all my Venturerider Family. It's a day to disregard all the crazy and bad things going on in this world, and reflect on the good. Take time to appreciate and be grateful for all the GOOD things in the world, and in your life. I'd have to say this site, and my Venturerider Family are a positive thing in my life, and something I'm very grateful for.

Been there, done that.....I was pretty sure it was the front wheel bearing...put new tires on it and it went away.

I gotta agree. Great parts bike....especially if the plastics are intact, but you can get a running Venture pretty cheaply. Great bikes.

I didn't think you're supposed to leave AGM batteries on a trickle charger for the entire season. OK with lead acid, but AGM's don't like it.

Stuck float sounds reasonable to me, but would the fuel flow to the carbs without the pump running?

It's all part of building back better.

The best lookin' year for the second gens.....and the fastest of them too !!!

Trying to make room in the garage, and am looking at this old CT110, and think she's gotta go. This was Dads' bike, ...he bought it new in '81 and to this day it has 831 miles on it. It sat for a while, so I went over it, put new tires on it and brought it back to life, although it was just a bike I'd use for riding around a friends farm when we'd take the motorhome there for 4th of July and such. My brother moved down to the lower Fl. Keys and I thought that since I didn't use it much, he may want it to run around Big Pine Key for fishing, or to run to the grocery store or whatever, so I gave it to him. He had it parked in the garage, and then came Hurricane Irma. He got the heck out of Dodge and came Back up to Ohio to wait out the storm. When he was allowed back down, maybe 3 weeks later, the house was still there, although the roof had enough damage to have damage in the home as well. The garage, which was the ground floor of the house...garage under the house....was subjected to 30" of saltwater for a day or two. Car in the garage and bike sat in this water, were moved around the garage a bit...bike was on it's side like that the whole time. Car and pretty much anything on the floor was totaled. When he got back down, he had bigger fish to fry than to worry about this bike, but another week or so into it, he drained the oil and flushed the crankcase with kerosene a couple of times..put fresh oil in it and would kick it over every once in a while just to keep the motor from seizing up. After a year or so of doing nothing other than an occasional kick to keep the motor free,....the kickstarter snapped something inside the case and no longer turns the engine. That's when he asked me if I wanted it back, or if he should trash it. I took it back, figuring that someday I may try to bring it back, but I'm starting to think the saltwater may have damaged it beyond repair. It still rolls, but the brakes are seized, and everything is rusted, although early on I coated the whole bike with Fluidfilm. Needing room in the garage is making me re-prioritize what I need to keep and what to get rid of. This one's tough 'cause it was Dads, but I think he'd understand. Next I need to think about my old Yammy TT600 and BMW Funduro 650. Need to make room and let go of old desires.

LOVE my pillow top......Very cushie for my tushie.

Yup, I get that. I think what Mcarl was referring to was the potential for battery acid to be blasted around the engine compartment when the gas ignited. That's what I meant when I said there wasn't enough acid left to get blasted out.

Didn't see any evidence of any nastiness. I don't think there was enough juice left in the battery to get blown out.

Tank was half full so I filled it the rest of the way with ethanol free gas...put a half a can of Seafoam in it. Went for a quick ride to get the Seafoam into the carbs then shut off the fuel valve to let the carbs run out the gas....when she started sputtering I shut her down. Put her into the climate controlled shed. (8 X 14 Pump shed has a dehumidifier in it and I keep it heated to 45 degrees)...Both my Ventures live there. Other bikes stay in the unheated garage / shed. Put the cover on her, and that should be it until Mid-Winter, when I'll put a charger on it for an hour or so.

Yeah, but you can't leave an AGM battery on a tender.

With this motorhome, and I think with most basic motorhomes, when I'm plugged in, the house batteries get charged but the engine battery does not. In my particular case, I have a 2 amp maintenance charger wired through a relay so that when I'm plugged in the engine charger is energized as well as the house inverter, which charges the house batteries. I set that up 9 years ago and it's worked pretty good up till now, and like I said in the original post, I can't complain about a battery that worked well for that long without ever putting water / acid in it. I'll just make a point of it to check the acid level every year, like I do with the house batteries. Engine battery is in a bad spot.....no easy access....but I'll git-er-dun. Having said all that....I'll check the house inverter output to the house batteries.....Thanks for the info.

Went to winterize the mothorhome today. Drain the water, blow out the lines, put it up on it's jacks and cover it. Put 4 cans of Seafoam in it and figured I'd run the engine as well as the generator for a bit to let the Seafoam get through the system(s), Turned the key and it just clicked. First time I've had an issue with the battery. Oh well....battery was put in in 2012 so I can't complain. Figured I'd put it on the charger to get enough power to start and run the leveling jacks. Went to put the charger on and wtf?.....Top of the battery had blown out. For some reason I thought it was an AGM battery and never checked the water/acid level like I do for the house batteries. Engine battery is kind of hard to get to: Hence the "out of sight out of mind" title. Got a new battery and went ahead with everything but putting the cover on...getting late... Thought y'all might enjoy the pic.

Been waiting for the release cylinder from Partzilla. Looked over the order info and saw that it says "Backordered, no eta" So I sent 'em an e-mail asking for some sort of an idea of when we may get it. If they can't send it soon, I'll cancel and order from Bike Bandit, who claims it'll be shipped in 1 - 2 business weeks. I'm guessing this is just because the Cavalcade is a relatively rare bike..... Anyhoo, ...either way it's gonna be a wait.

I carry a spare pump as well, but haven't had any issues yet. Without looking at it, are there any special tools needed for a roadside replacement?

So very sad. What a great loss to this forum. Life goes on, and I'm thankful for all of you who remain.

I don't believe they're intended as a therapeutic so much as a preventative.

Never got poison ivy as a kid. Dad always said he didn't get it until his mid 30s and it turned out to be the same for me. If I look at it too close I'd get it. Once you start getting it, you learn to spot it pretty quick. Then I found out about poison ivy pills, and since I used to have plenty of it around the property, I figured "what the heck". I'm here to tell ya....They Work. I take them April to October every year, and I've even put it to the test by ripping out poison ivy vines bare handed....(It was a gutsy move)....But, even doing that, I get what looks like a few mosquito bites and it goes away in a few days. Get / take the pills....get some poison ivy wash and use it when you think you've been exposed, and it'll never be a problem for you again.

What a great childhood I was fortunate enough to have. Lived in the suburbs of Y-town, Public swimming pool, playground and a class B ballpark across the street. My first job, at age 7 was chasing the foul balls that went backwards over the bleachers for $1.00 a night....That paid for entrance to the pool and gas in my mini-bike....30 acres of woods 2 blocks away that we'd all play in...friend and I would ride the mini-bikes there.... After school, and all Summer, parents wouldn't see us except for meals. Great group of friends that I'm still close to today. Went riding up to the cabin with a few of them a couple of weeks back. You just can't replace old friends. I can remember standing at their screen door and calling out their name to come out and play. Did some informal baseball, football and basketball at the park, but was more interested in the woods and what dad was doing in the garage. Parents took us to the cabin (Same place we just rode to,....same place...new cabin that my brother and I built with Dad in the early 90s)...went at least 3 times every Summer......and yes....I still drink from the stream behind the cabin..... Thanks for helping me reminisce. Good times.