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Evan
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Everything posted by Evan
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Dray - We did most of this on our recent Venture West so I know what a great ride you must have had and I have a few pictures to show some of the places you mention.
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Hope you all had a great day today. Like I previously posted, I couldn't join you because of plans to take my grandkids (who live in Guelph) to the Rockton Fair. So I went to plan B. We rode to Guelph and used my daughter's vehicle to take the kids to the fair. Rode to Guelph by way of the Guelph Line (or is it the Cambleford Road) to Rockwood. Was surprised by amazing fall colours along the way. Made me think of what a great day you folks would have.
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Good for Eileen for her boating idea and good for you Don to reach the point where it became a relaxing experience. Being anchored (I assume) in a picturesque secluded cove can be great. Now, think about heading north a bit to our Canadian North Channel and renting a sailboat for a week. The experts claim that the North Channel is one of the best cruising areas with sheltered coves everywhere and some of the best scenery in the world. The feeling there on a sailboat is intoxicating and therapeutic --- and if you need help getting started, just ask Wizarkrd765 or myself.
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Maybe I will run into Saddlebum (Ben) at CTC. Thanks Hulk!
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My wife wanted to see them a few years ago and to do that, she took a winter flight from where we live in Toronto to Yellowknife. To get there, she had to fly first to either Calgary or Vancouver which made it a day long flight. She was with a group who were taken out onto the Lake at night (Great Slave Lake I think) for the best viewing. While there was no guarantee that they would see bright lights, the chance of doing in Yellowknife so was high and she said that the brilliance did vary from night to night. She thought the trip was worth it.
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Sorry I didn't respond sooner Ben but I just now saw your post. Anyway, I have only travelled # 11 to lake Nipissing lately so I can't offer any good feedback on the conditions along the CAA routes off # 11. However, I suspect the colours there are also past their peek although I am sure it wold be a good ride.
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I would sure like to join you guys for whatever route but I am working at the cottage this week and committed to taking my grandkids to the Rockton Fair (billed as the world's largest fair) on Monday to see the horses.
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I drive through the Muskoka area yesterday and was surprised to see how much less foliage colour there was from a week or so ago. Most of the bright red colour was gone and many trees had lost most of their leaves already. I think the foliage season was unusually early this year due to local weather conditions. Anyway, that is what I saw.
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Here in Ontario, a can of Safoam is almost double your cost. I would use quite a bit of it if it was not so expensive as I have quite a few (too many) toys including snowmobiles and boats that don't get regular use. Also, on my recent Venture West where I rode about 13,000 km over 5 weeks, I did a Seafoam treatment afer reading a post about carb problems related to ethanol, and it seamed to help.
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I have a question along the line of Blubber. I read with interest the posts some time ago talking about Coleman camp fuel as an alternative to Seafoam. I asked Squidley back then whether it might be safe to use straight Coleman fuel, or whether a mixed concoction was suggested to reduce or avoid the risk of damage. I ended up buying a gallon of Coleman fuel but since then, I thought twice about using it. However, Seafoam is quite expensive here in Ontario and I do like to use it on some of my many motors such as my garden tractor and outboard motors, in addition to my VR. In order to reduce my total costs, what do you guys think about using a 50/50 mix of Seafoam and Coleman fuel in order to reduce the total cost. I will understand your response if say this is a stupid question.
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I expect to ride more than 30,000 km this season and have done about 26,000 so far.
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has anyone replaced their grips?
Evan replied to reddevilmedic's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
I recently mentioned in another post that I researched and bought foam grip covers three years ago. They were exceptionally easy to install, - in fact I just rolled them over my stock grips with no glue required due to the perfect snug fit. After being installed now for three years, you still cannot tell that they are not the original grips and they continue to show no wear or aging. They are probably the best $10.00 investment I have made for my beloved 88VR. You can see a picture of them and get the details from my original thread titled Foam Grip Covers. With that said, I am sure there are other comparable foam grip covers available. -
In my case, I like my 88 so much that I am constantly on the lookout for another Mark 2 1st gen. I once bought a second sailboat identical to one that I already owned because I thought that particular model was so good and it was no longer in production. However, as Trader says, insurance cost here in Ontario is so high that I can only insure one bike at a time. That leaves me second guessing my desire to buy (and store) a second VR. At times, I think I should continue to put my time and money into the one I already own so it can "live on" until I am too old to ride it. Hopefully, that won't be the case for many years.
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I did something that has worked really well for me, although others might consider it a "Poor Man Fix". I don't have pictures right now to better illustrate but basically, after I removed my cassette, I utilized some of the large space made available which remains covered and rain protected by my plastic cassette cover. I velcroed in (so it can be removed) a flat strip of firm black plastic cut from a plastic oil jug in a location that I can access easily when riding. I drilled three half inch holes in that plastic strip and installed three round switches that light up when they are on (and I can see that light through the plastic cassette cover). I use these switches for my axillary power plug also located in this protected space (which I use to plug in my GPS and want to be able to power off), and for added lights. It was easy to install and wire and it is neat. Will try to get a picture.
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I am not a tire expert but I can share my own experience as I also ride an 88 VR and I went with E3's (both front and back) for my last change. I agree with others who say the E3's handle well for me, feel very safe (for example, on wet roads and over road snakes). I am also getting good mileage from them. I now have 45,000 km (almost 30,000 miles) on the front which I will replace this fall or next spring, although it looks like it would be good for at least another 5000+kms. Now, here is the major downside of E3s based on my experience. Especially with two up and hauling a trailer on my recent 13,0000 km trip, they create a noticeable ringing or howling sound. Also, I was told that they are vulnerable to cupping although I have not noticed any cupping until somewhere near 40,000 km on the front and it is minor so far.
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What I have noticed here in Ontario is that in some areas such as through the Muskokas, the colours are earlier than ususal and more brilliant while in other areas such as north or south of the Muskokas, the colours seem to be much less and further behind. Yestersay would have been a good day for a ride and instead, I sat on my a-- at home catching up on some work. Planned on riding somewhere today and wouldn't you know it, the weather is much cooler and raining here in Toronto.
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Hey Brad - Amazing how fast the years go by, and as my grandmother once said to me when she was in her 80's, they seem to go by faster each year. Hope your next year is an especially good one for you!
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Thanks Karl. Yes, it was a truely amazing trip made even better by 5 weeks (yes - 35 days) without rain. We chose to stay off the slabs for most of the trip and to not have a planned destination/hotel reservation each day, so we were able to explore along the way. We were able to ride some amazing roads and see some amazing sights which we tried to capture in my wife's blog. The posative feedback from that blog has also surprised us. For those that are interested, the link to the blog is http//venturewest-evan-anne.blogspot.com/ and there is a picture of our route on the last post.
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Yes, I was through the Muskokas today and the colours there are amazing. I don't think I have seen them any brighter.
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Glad you were able to get away and that you enjoyed the ride.
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The following description of my exhaust pipe problem encountered during the first week of our recent five week trip and my emergency repair was originally posted in my thread "Our Venture West". It has been over 10,000 km since I did this emergency fix and it has worked so well and without any exhaust leak that I don't plan on any further repair. While traveling along the Yellowhead Trail through Saskatchewan on our recent trip west, my exhaust noise got louder and still louder again after part of the chrome heat shield cover to the exhaust pipe broke away. The exhaust pipe from the collector had broken loose from the muffler and the muffler was left hanging by one bolt with no support. The end of the exhaust pipe was rusted and broken away so badly that it couldn't be reconnected to the muffler. Truly an "Oh Sh--" moment that could have ruined our trip west. The first picture shows the exhaust pipe after I removed the muffler. I got lucky as the next town had a Canadian Tire Store (open on Sunday) where I bought an exhaust pipe coupler designed to reduce pipe size and some aluminum duct tape. After removing the original clamp at the mouth of the muffler and wrapping both the front few inches of the muffler and the last few inches of the exhaust pipe with the aluminum duct tape for a tight fit, I slid the coupler over the muffler and the exhaust pipe and bolted my muffler back in place. To my surprise, there is no exhaust leak and I think the joint is as strong as original. I would bet that mine isn't the only first gen with a wore out exhaust pipe under the chrome cover. Attached Thumbnails
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Same question as Brian. I think it was Rocket that recently told me he also had to replace his cable, and it is an awkward job.
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Sorry I wasn't aware of this Wayne and Robin when we PM'd recently. This type of accident leaves us without words that are adequate but please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you both. Evan and Anne
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My 88 now has almost 165,000 kms which is over 100,000 miles. Just goet home today from a five week 13,000km ride and it didn't skip a beat along the way.
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Found this thread to be quite interesting. What I would like to add is that for me riding my 88VR, performance at lower rpms in high gear depends very much on conditions such as upgrade or head wind. Personally, I judge whether I need to downshift by the sound and feel of the motor.