LilBeaver

Too bad; That's a deal breaker right there...

I had intentionally been keeping a lid on it because of the way my experiment schedule works, sometimes it is difficult to plan real far ahead. So, I am hoping to make it (and that the panhandle weather will cooperate with me)... But it is still a bit unsure at this time.

That all makes perfect sense - I just didn't know what your trailer looked like. Another option would be to extend the base of your frame (i.e. slide a few studs with eye hooks or something) under the frame, to broaden the base of your lift points to minimize the pressure on the plastic topper of the trailer. OR, you could rig up a few pulleys attached either to the ceiling/joists directly above the 3 or 4 lift points you want to use for your trailer (you could actually do this with just 2 as well), then run a line through the pullies to the winch - that way your lifting effort would be directly up from the trailer (without dealing with the 'pinch point' of the top of the trailer)... Just another thought... Okay *sigh* back to work...

I don't know what the trailer looks like, but what about the ends of the axles, a rear point on the frame and the tongue? If I am picturing your trailer correctly, that ought to minimize any stress on the plastic components; surely the frame is strong enough for that.

Instead of using multiple come alongs (or a light duty winch), why not use a single one and then with 4 points around the trailer attach all above at a single point, Then it is a simple one attachment up and down with no careful balancing of multiple lift points. Although standing it up along a wall seems like a winner - even though that will require some light re-working...

After today, I think it is time for an update. Since my last post I have been working pretty much non-stop 7 days a week, etc etc. Wednesday of this week my friend stopped in my lab and we chatted a bit. Some work related but mostly about motorcycles (and what she wants -- I'll get to that). She found out that I am headed out of town for two and a half weeks and wanted a ride before I left. Well, shucks. I wanted a ride before I left too, so we decided that Sunday (today) would work the best and so it goes. I won't go into the details but we discussed the situation and things have been cleared up - I will leave it as that... for now. Original departure was going to be another morning run, then back to work in the afternoon. I called Saturday evening to confirm our departure plan and she asked if I would mind if 'he' came along too. No biggie/sure why not. Sunday morning comes around and I woke up to 45 degrees and rain; however the forecasted high of low 70's and sun later in the after noon prompted me to go ahead and call the audible and delay our start. So 2pm is the new departure time. So, 2pm rolls around and I pick her up. He has his bike gassed up and ready to roll too (as planned). We all exchange minor chit-chat and then take off. No particular destination in mind nor is there a planned route. I'm in the lead and both of them said they didn't care where we went or how long we were out, so I let-r-rip. My original plan was to keep the ride short so that I could come back and get back to work, but I bet ya'll can guess what happened instead. The first 45 minutes or so was actually rather quiet. I was decompressing a little bit from my last couple of weeks, not to mention I am terrible at 'small talk' and am perfectly happy to ride in 'silence' (well, the radio was on, but that was it). Once we made it into the non-boring part of the road I turned down the radio and for the rest of the ride the radio was down for purposes of conversation. She is doing well. Over the course of the last few weeks we have had numerous conversations about different kinds of bikes and whatnot, she made it out to a big dealer down in San Antonio (where she's from) and sat on just about every cruiser we talked about and then some. She decided that the Kaw Vulcan was the one that she likes the best, all around. He isn't overly enthusiastic about that decision since it isn't a dual sport, but some careful nudging reminder her that it will be her bike and she is the one that will be riding it so it ought to be something that she will want and be comfortable on. Anyhoo, the ride was overall rather enjoyable. Put on just under 300 miles today and enjoyed ever single one of them. The weather was a little cool and we got sprinkled on a little bit, but it was very nice over all. I didn't interact with him very much, however, I wasn't rude or anything. I greeted him, asked how he was, asked about his bike, etc. On our 1 stop (for fuel) there was some minor chit-chat about how things were going with him, making sure I wasn't going too fast or anything. When I dropped her off at her house, he pulled in behind me and we chatted a little more about the bikes; he commented on my rear lighting, I asked about his seat (he has apparently put some more padding in it), and we compared horns. He was interested in getting an air horn and asked what I would recommenced. So, things were civil. Anyhoot, we're tentatively headed out again shortly after I get back. She may or may not have her bike by then. Either way, if there is interest I'll post again. Oh yea (as I'm writing this I realize that I may regret telling ya'll this but... here we go anyways) I had mentioned to her that I'm likely headed down to Big Bend to do some riding with some friends in November and boy, was she excited about that... SO, I don't know if I can trust ya'll to behave but we'll see... Aside needing to stay up most of the night to finish some of the work I am supposed to have done for tomorrow, it was another great day and I was LONG overdue for a nice ride. I have attached a few pictures. Until next time...

Okay, since it was mentioned, here is a 'fun' fact. The town I worked in has a population of ~15,000 people. On Friday and Saturday nights (3-11pm) we would have 3 on. That's all. The rest of the week and time it was only 2. In my 5 years with the department, I was backed up by state twice. Not because it wasn't requested, but by the time they would have gotten there the situation was over. County was a little more frequent than that, but not by much. Yee-haw. Okay, back to topic.

I don't understand why such a simple question (or similar ones) always turn into this type of 'discussion'... But that is a topic for another discussion in itself. Anyhoo, back on point; sounds like you have plenty of reasonable suggestions. I would lock it up in the trunk (secure it with one of those cable locks that go through the handle and out the ejection port, CAREFULLY so that it doesn't goof up the extraction pin), separate the ammunition and weapon, lock in the trunk and don't worry about it. Out of sight and nothing to promote breaking into/stealing your car over someone else, you should be fine. Obviously make sure you've got the S/N written down, just in case something does happen you can report it stolen right away. By the way, [you probably know this, but just in case someone reading along doesn't] storing the firearm under the driver's seat is a big no no; unless you are in a state that allows conceal/carry (and you have the appropriate permit) or that recognizes your vehicle as an extension of your domicile (there are some things I love about Texas ), in which case you are allowed to keep it in your car within reach of the driver. Enjoy your cruise!!

I see no problem with that, at all. In fact, I was a little surprised when you went to the 'supporting member' stuff, the classifieds weren't included in that... +1 to being amazed at how you manage the time to administer this sucka!!

It is in the lower left (clutch side) cowling. It is black instead of the fake chrome that the right side OEM one is. If you aren't finding it, it is possible that a prior owner removed it or if you are the original owner maybe it wasn't installed on setup. By the way, I hope you have your new fancy-pants horn wired up directly to the battery with an in-line fuse and activated by a relay...

Hmmmm I don't think this happened... I don't see any pictures Glad you had a good ride in today!

Good call sling Also, if you have a driver's backrest - double check to make sure that you don't have either of those cables pinched under the backrest bracket either.

EDIT: Removed comment as I had missed that your accident involved the bike...

Absolutely not. These radios are expensive to replace (out of pocket) so, I'd get it checked out. If you checked all of your connections there is something else. If you haven't made it around to checking all of the grounds, that would be something to check. Unfortunately there isn't much, in the way of diagnostics that we can do on these dumb things...

Thanks all for your comments. Bigboy - thanks for the info on that pump, looks like it might be a winner if I can't find something else locally Zipcode: Thanks for the picture - That definitely answers my question about what adapters or fittings are on the pump and how to use it. Randy: I had wondered the same thing about the clicking, why did its behavior change now... ECK & Goose: Thanks for the additional comments. I guess I could have expanded a little more on my couple quickie tests. First and foremost, ever since the first thread that I made it to that discussed the fuel pump problems (especially yours Seaking) I have paid close attention to the clicking when I turn my key. What I noticed last night was that there was no clicking when I expected it. By turning the gas off 1 mile, or so, from my house and checking it when I got home (I know what my bike normally does when I do this on occasion) and after I parked in the garage and tried it, it didn't do it. So, the what raised my concern was that the behavior was atypical with respect to my experience with my bike. Yes, I have only had my bike for just over a year (~22k miles), but I ride all year 'round so I have a lot of on/offs with it. The main purpose for my post was to try to learn what other symptoms are prevalent with a failed (or failing) pump. I have read many posts where folks pumps fail and they are stuck pushing their bikes or playing the on/off game until it kicks back in. My observation of the lack of clicking was a clue, but I had expected there to be a lack of power or whatnot that went with it. My second question was primarily so I would know what I'm looking for when/if I head up the auto parts store for a pump (or order one online). Thanks again for the comments. I should have some time tomorrow to do some real testing. HOPEFULLY I will find something conclusive. By the way, on my way to work today, it did it's normal clicking thing so I suspect that I might have an intermittent problem with it. Thanks again, ya'll.

Okie-doke. Thanks. That is sort-of what I figured; I just found it weird that I didn't hear it click. I think I might still look into making an 'investment' in one of those 40-50 replacement ones (opposed to the $200 OEM one)to have it ready to go, just in case...

Aside: Are you sure they used Ride-On, or was it a different product that is geared towards the same thing? I put Ride-On in my tires on my last set. A few months ago they both came off and the ride-on was ONLY present on the inside of the tire. Actually, (I can post pictures later) it was very evenly and well distributed about the inside of the tread region (no surprise thanks' to centripetal forces) and there was none at all on either rim.

First of all, usually I hear the pump click a few times before I start 'er up. Last night (it was much colder than usual, not that it makes a difference) when I was heading home from work I got on, turned the key and didn't hear anything. The bike ran perfectly fine all the way home (and I had ~145 miles on that particular tank). For kicks, about 1 mile away from my house I turned the fuel off, pulled in and parked. I let the bike sit for a minute or so and turned the key ON again to my surprise I didn't hear the clicking. I am presuming that my pump is toast (I will check the pump by jumping it from the battery when I get home to verify pump and not the relay)... My questions are this: 1) Will our bikes run quite well (hard acceleration, high speeds, etc) even if the pump isn't pumping and I only have 1-2 gallons left in the tank? 2) What all is necessary to pick up if I go pick up one of those Mr. gasket pumps? Do I just need to get the appropriate fittings so that the hoses will effectively be out of one end? I recall reading that the #42s pump was no longer an option because it was redesigned - what is the difference between the 'new' and 'old' designs and what is it about the 'new' design that makes it not work for us? Muchos grassybutt folks. (That's thanks a lot for those of you that don't speak spanglish).

There is a high quality source, right there Not to mention the quality of THIS one: Kidding aside though; I do think this makes a lot of sense (and not kind either).

Lol... It's that delay again. You know these electronic signals take longer to propagate up north

I don't know what the failure rate is for the ignition switches on the RSTC's, but as george mentioned, it seems to be a common problem with the 2nd gens. Some have had good luck by disassembling the existing switch, cleaning it and repairing the burnt connectors. HOWEVER, on what you described: I would have to look at a wiring diagram for your particular bike, but since the lights come ON with the key, if your ignition switch was the culprit it doesn't seem likely that your lights would still be on when the bike shut off. If you can crank but not start, again - likely NOT the ignition switch; since if there is a break in the continuity inside the switch you loose the power to the bike all together. Could it still be a loose connection somewhere in there - sure it is possible. But, it sounds to me like you need to be checking a few other items as well (fuel pump, grounds, fuse box - for corrosion, etc.) With respect to your question about getting the switch off without removing the radiator, I don't know for your bike... Hopefully you can identify the problem quickly.

I have messed with it a little bit but still haven't found something I am real happy with (EXCEPT for when the bike isn't fully loaded - then, and only then, does it ride like I think it should). There were some other issues that I had with it; the ride quality was one of a few reasons as to why I called them. I just hope you have and will have better customer service than I did (which I can't imagine will be much of a stretch), a shock that actually fits when you [finally] receive it, you receive it within the 2-6 week time frame they give you and that you are satisfied with the ride once you do get it on. Don't get me wrong, it seems that most of the posts that I have read about these shocks have been very positive; I guess if there was an alternative choice, and I had to replace one in the future, this company would not be my first choice.

Very cool. I guess that is a reason to ride to Plainview... By the way that video quality was impressive; are you sure that video camera makes phone calls too?

- 30 day 'performance guarantee' -- meaning if you are not happy with the ride they will rebuild it; customer pays shipping to them for this service (I called about mine because I felt it was a bit too stiff and the guy I talked to said that there was nothing they could do for me... so who knows) - 1 year 'parts and workmanship' -- Meaning if it fails they will rebuild it/replace it for only the cost of shipping to them.

Wow. Sadly, I've known some that could double as the 'real life' version of this... lol, nice.