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Bobby G

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Everything posted by Bobby G

  1. Bobby G
    When the main switch is in the "off" position, that's where it should be - - not centered. Then when you push it to the "on" position with the bike running, it should spring back to a centered position, but the blue light should then be illuminated indicating that it's ready to be activated. As to why it won't work, as stated previously, you may need to inspect and clean the main switch and the SET/RES and other handle bar mounted switches. There could very easily be some corrosion built up that is impeding the connection. The CANCEL button may also be stuck in the on position due to internal switch housing corrosion. If the switches are all OK, it could be the cable or the servo itself that is bad.
  2. Bobby G
    Ditto, ditto and ditto. Love mine, and now run the proper PSI in them which has made a tremendous difference in how the bike handles. No chuncking, side wall cracking, or other issues previously reported here. I will say that I am still a big Dunlop fan for my other lighter weight bikes, and also the H-D softail. But the 880 is the best tire for me for the RSV.
  3. Bobby G
    Been a member since 2006, and served as a Ride Captain for a few years as well. Standing for those who stood for us is a genuine honor. I only wish some members would get over themselves in terms of their perceived importance in the organization or to the mission. Some ego's are just out of control sometimes. I also wish that the PGR flag would take a back seat to the American flag or the deceased's branch-of-service flag on the escorts. These men and women didn't serve or die for a blue and yellow flag. It's just too self-indulgent for me. But the PGR has been a Godsend for the families of our Heroes in terms of support, and also keeping the "uninvited guests" from interfering with their services. It has also had the effect of galvanizing a much needed sense of patriotism in many communities across America.
  4. Bobby G
    Usually a Yamaha OEM replacement filter, or Mobile-1. Used Fram for a long time with no issues at all, but decided to upgrade now that I'm teetering on the 100,000 mile mark.
  5. Bobby G
    Been running the 880 for years, never a problem and great mileage on both front and rear carrying weight up to 400 lbs. consistently. Have usually gotten 18k - 20k on the front, and 14k to 17k on the rear, until this last go round, when I ran the rear pretty under-inflated. Only got about 12k on it. Never any issues with chunking rubber, and it performs as well as the Dunlops I run on the other bikes (Harley and Honda) both on the superslap and in the mountains, rain or shine. Just keep them at proper inflation and they perform great. Love 'em.
  6. Bobby G
    IF there is a new Venture in the next few years, and IF they successfully upgrade to a powered up EFI V-4 with some other essential 21st century upgrades, I will be one of the first in line to get one. I have only bought a new bike once, but if the aforementioned IF's are accomplished, I'm in.
  7. Bobby G
    Amazing machines and technology, but it makes you wonder how many of these have to be sold for these companies to realize any return on the massive investment in engineering and development costs. And what states or municipalities here in the U.S have the budgets to be able to afford these machines. They must cost hundreds of thousands of $$$. I attend the GIE+Expo in Louisville every year (the largest outdoor power equipment trade show in the country), and these machines are not even on display.
  8. Bobby G
    On the "no new model" news, I think all of the Japanese OEM's are in the same boat. Nothing really new for 2013, no big dealer meetings, no major splash announcements. Everyone seems to be in "expense optimization" mode to reign in costs and maximize profits. New model intro's don't recoup the development, production and marketing expense for up to 3 years, and economic forecasts aren't exactly very promising heading into 2013-14. So this comes as no surprise. All of this was confirmed this week in meetings I've had with both Kawi and Yamaha, and I'm sure I'll hear the same from Suzuki later today. But Suzuki may be the only one of the Japanese 4 with any momentum in sales, with their emphasis on 0% for 60 months retail financing that they've been offering all spring and summer. I am hearing that they may be holding a dealer meeting in November in Vegas to try to keep the sales momentum moving and make some organizational announcements. They have the other 3 on the run in the sport bike segment and don't want to let up on their market share gains. The guys at Yami are either not in the loop on the Venture or aren't talking, but what I did hear is that there is little interest in scrapping the V-4 platform. Why lose your differentiation and become just another V-twin big bike producer? The V-4 VMAX is a reliable workhorse engine and can be tweaked and improved in many ways, so everyone's guess there (and mine as well) is that when it is upgraded, it will still be a V-4 bike. Heading to Brea.....will post more as I hear it.
  9. Bobby G
    Lynn, it's a very good road, but like all country mountain roads down here, you have to watch for gravel washout areas. We hit a good one on Rt. 64 yesterday.
  10. Bobby G
    I meant to have my video cam mounted for the ride, and walked right out without it. But the wife got some great shots on her cam...I'll post as soon as I get back from Cali.
  11. Bobby G
    Ditto....no preference either way....we did bottom to top and then back again yesterday. It takes all of 20 minutes each way....nice, but nothing to write home about. It's like waiting 2 hours at Disney to get on a kick-ass roller coaster, and having the ride last 3 minutes. Same kind of experience. But it is fun! The Cherohala is an awesome ride. Rt. 28, the Blueridge Pky., and the Foothills Pky are also "have to's" on any trip to that area. Another great ride is the Wayah Road from Rt. 129 down to Franklin, and then Rt. 64 down to Highlands....several nice waterfalls on that route. Have fun!
  12. Bobby G
    Did 400+ miles in 14 hours yesterday in just picture perfect weather, and hit some of the best GA-NC-TN roads you'll ever ride in a day. Starting from the 'burbs in Marietta, we did back roads to Dahlonega, northeast up over Blood Mountain to Brasstown Bald, up to Hawassee, then lunch in Murphy NC. Shopped a little at Cherokee Cycle, then up to Rt. 28 (Hellbender 28) along the Nantahala River to Deals Gap. A little more shopping, then rode The Dragon up and back again, then down to Robbinsville, then west on the Cherohala Skyway to Tellico Plains, south on Rt. 68 to Blue Ridge, and then home. What a great day, but I'm feeling it a little today. The RSV did awesome in the thousands of twisties we hit all day. I never even had to get out of 2nd gear on the Dragon, and it just glided in and out of the 318 turns it throws at you in 11 miles. This is where you really appreciate the leveling link mod the most. And the Cherohala is just a fabulous ride all by itself. Gonna do that one again next month. Worth the trip from anywhere.
  13. Bobby G

    2013 Venture

    Bobby G replied to ediddy's topic in Watering Hole

    Ditto on the Voyager....the ride is great and I really like the fixed fairing. That enhanced heat dissipation system is also a nice fix, but not sure the passenger's foot will enjoy the heat blowing right next to it. I also don't like how flimsy some of the "fit and finish" feels, like the trunk and saddle bag lid hinges. I am visiting Kawi and Yamaha in CA this week on business, and hope to get a little more intel on the plans for the Venture in 2013. Like I said before, few if any of the U.S. guys are in the loop on model changes, and everything has a secret code name. But there are some signs that a 2014 model (to be offered in limited quantities next year) might be in the offing. I seriously doubt it will be a V-twin, but you never know. These guys seem to love the VMAX 4, and it would be so much more cost efficient to just boost the CC's and power then to start over. EFI is a must, though. All engine OEM's are tasked to upgrade fuel efficiency, lower emissions and "go green", or risk serious EPA compliance penalties. That includes all Japanese imports, Briggs and Koehler.
  14. Bobby G
    Wow...I can honestly say that I had this exact situation with my 1999 2 1/2 years ago. It turned out to be the ignition. At first, through some trouble shooting, we thought it was the wiring in the kill switch, but then found that it was a bad ignition. Replaced it, and have never had a problem since. I truly believe that it only crapped out at higher speeds due to some weird harmonics or vibration at those speeds, having nothing to do with RPM's. Same holds true when the cruise control just lets loose for no reason. Very hard to explain. Unless you have a local "Dr. House" in your area to do some additional testing, I'd suggest surgery on the ignition. About a $130 fix.
  15. Bobby G

    plastic fix

    Bobby G replied to bill04's topic in Watering Hole

    This is the most amazing stuff I've ever used. It's easy, fast, and much stronger than the original plastic or ABS. You can fabricate just about anything with it. http://www.plast-aid.com/
  16. Bobby G

    2013 Venture

    Bobby G replied to ediddy's topic in Watering Hole

    I got to admit - - last weekend I got more comments and looks at my '99 among a very large crowd of other bikes, mainly Ultra's, that it really surprised me. The styling is distinctive and stands out of the crowd. But there really are about 100 upgrades I'd like to see made to the RSV, but a major overhaul to the styling isn't one of them.
  17. Bobby G

    2013 Venture

    Bobby G replied to ediddy's topic in Watering Hole

    No changes other than color or pin striping, and maybe a different OEM tire...limited production...maybe some retail financing specials in the Spring to kick start sales...and no big dealer incentives since it is such a slow seller relative to their other street/sport bikes. The V-4 is a bullet proof, albeit lower powered, VMAX engine and no changes are expected. "Project X" on a beefed up EFI VMAX powerplant and other upgrades is under wraps, but I'm guessing that a 2013 intro (2014 model) is not out of the question. Anyway, that's what my guy at Yammie in CA are leading me to believe, but they are generally in the dark as much as we are.
  18. Bobby G
    I was also disappointed in the 13K I got on my last ME880 rear tire, but I have since learned quite a lot about psi for the Metzlers, and what they should run at versus what the dealer or local tire shop have advised in the past. I have no experience with Venoms, but be sure to validate the OEM specs for tire pressure and don't go with what anyone else tells you.
  19. Bobby G
    Great reminder Goose. I got bit by this mistake last year with the plastic wind deflectors that mount under the upper fairing. The plastic tabs that the screws go through totally disintegrated, and I had to resort to using PlastAID to fabricate new tabs on the deflectors. New ones are very pricy. This fix worked out, and I highly recommend PlastAID for any such plastic or ABS repairs. You can make just about any part out of it, including wing nuts, and the resulting repair is generally stronger than the original. Great stuff!
  20. Bobby G
    Just to validate what was suggested as the correct tire pressure for the Metzler ME880, I pulled this directly off the Metzler web site: ME880 Solo: Front 38 - 40 Rear 44 - 46 2 Up Light: Front 40 - 42 Rear 46 - 48 2 Up Heavy: Front 40 - 42 Rear 48 - 50 I will be making the appropriate inflation adjustments accordingly. Thanks again for the suggestion.
  21. Bobby G
    Been gone for several days and just now catching up with all of this. Thanks for all of the feedback, suggestions, rationale, argument, perspective and point of view. If we can all sift through the chest pounding and "right vs. wrong" pontification, I think we can all learn a few things that just might be important to us in one way or another. I will look further into the rear tire inflation issue for the ME880 and make the appropriate adjustment. I also see the value in making sure my suspension is working properly, as the bike is 13 years old and is pushing 100,000 miles on the original shock. Hard to believe, but true, but it seems to be fine. But I'll check it. Other than that, some of this made for great reading and research, and I appreciate everyone weighing in. Thanks!
  22. Bobby G
    Good points Goose. But if excessive weight makes more of the tire surface make contact with the road, there is MORE friction, not less, the same as if the tire is under-inflated. Logic (not science) tells me that under-inflated tires wear faster. And like added weight, if tire pressure is too low, then too much of the tire's surface area touches the ground, which increases friction between the road and the tire. Thus, tires wear out earlier, and they could also overheat (more friction). Again, not exactly a scientifically based argument, but one to consider. Having said that, and also considering your point on weight, distance and speed, I'm guessing that even if I had proper tire inflation, which I'm pretty sure I did, these conditions could still have significantly contributed to this more rapid tire wear. I'm also guessing that temperature played a part as well. Thanks.
  23. Bobby G
    I changed out my rear tire this week after 11,200 miles, and it was the poorest performance on a rear tire I've had in 4 years. I'm a big fan of the ME880, and I've always gotten 15K+ miles from them, and significantly more on the front tire (my current front tire has 22K on it, and still has very good tread). I'm wondering if the combination of more long distance trips over the last 9 months, greater weight on the back (between riding two up and/or carrying heavier luggage for longer distances), and especially the more excessive heat conditions we've had this year on our trips are all playing into this poorer-than-average mileage I got this time around on the rear tire. Or maybe I just got a sub-standard tire back there to start with last time around. The date stamp on it was 5110, so it wasn't a very old tire when installed in September of 2011. I always keep 40 - 42 psi in the rear, along with 25 to 30 psi in the shock, so those variables are pretty consistent. Is there any intel on overall motorcycle tire performance with heat as a variable? I've Googled the subject, and there's not much out there.
  24. Bobby G
    We usually guage the distance interval between bikes in "approximate bike lengths", not in seconds. The "visual" is easier than counting "1 mississippi, 2 mississippi", etc. On 55 mph + two-lane or interstate roads, we usually keep 4 - 5 bike lengths of interval. On slower rides, that closes up to a comfortable 2 - 3 bike lengths. Always staggered, with the lead bike on the left portion of the lane. We also make a concerted effort to keep the gaping tight enough so as not to invite any "cage crashers" into our line, while also staying out of blind spots. We always do whatever it takes to make sure everyone around us is aware of our presence. Most of this is common sense riding, but if we have anyone in our group that is new to us or new to group riding, we talk about it ahead of time. As a former PGR Ride Captain, I understand the value in discussing safety before the kickstands go up.
  25. Bobby G
    Mike, some pics of the front and back view when installed would be great. Thanks!
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