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Sandbagger

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Everything posted by Sandbagger

  1. Sandbagger
    The thing that concerns me is that I don't think I have the skill that you have. Don't have any dirt bike days to recall. Glad yours turned out ok and your still going strong.
  2. Sandbagger
    My wife had a triathlon today. I was out riding the bike course while the swim was going on and came across a 30 foot wide across both lanes except for a foot of what I thought was water. 99 out of 100 times I just would have ridden across, but something made me stop and get off and make sure it was water. Appears someone was angry about the race and dumped oil across both lanes of traffic. It completely covered the asphalt. The bikes were going to be coming in about 10 minutes with motorcycle escorts. Even worse it was on a curve. I'll spare you all the details of what happened but was able to keep any bikers or bicyles from going down though. Have to tell you, it had me shook. I consider myself to be a very safety conscious biker, wear full gear and always thinking safety, but this came out of nowhere. How do you prepare for this. Makes me wonder about being on the farm roads and coming across a truck failure that dumped a bunch of oil on the road. I have a hard time believing that I would have had a chance to keep the bike upright going across that oil. Don't think I could have done it even if it was straight. I get taking certain risk, but this was one I had not planned on that has me a little shook. Was curious if anybody has taken their bike across a serious oil stretch and what happened.
  3. Sandbagger
    Hope you are feeling better as I write this. I'm 48. At 28 I had a 1 year old. I had a passion for flying. I was building a plane. About the time it was built my extended family had an intervention with me. Told me I needed to sell the plane. Said I couldn't afford to die even if I had a 2 million dollar life insurance policy (I didn't) because my son (s) would need me. They were right in my opinion. I had to put what I wanted on the back burner. I have taught my sons what they need to know at this point of life. I have taken care of things financially in case if something happens to me. I feel that I can now do some things that are more selfish and involve more risk (motorcyles for instance). Kids change everything in my opinon. "You" gets put on the back burner. My extended family still does not like what I do, but I don't owe them like I owe my kids. I don't owe my wife like I owe my kids. Your 28. It is not if, it is when as they say. If you keep riding you will likely have another "when". If "when" happens can you leave the people in your life behind and leave them whole or will people be left with financial hardship and life lessons untaught? For me, I have needed to have conversations with my wife and extended family so we can come to terms with my activities now that my kids are older. I have had to have conversatons with my late teen and early 20's. I have people on board now. At 28 I did not have people on board. I could not afford to die. You are facing decisions at at time of life where you realize that other people have a say in your life. Big decisions with kids possibly in your future as well. I wish you luck and a clear head.
  4. Sandbagger
    I have asked a similar question and got very counter intuitive answers from people much smarter than me on this subject. At any rate, I get low 40's when I keep the RPM's at 3500 or below which coincides with 65 mph. When I go to 4000 to 4300 which is going to be 75 mph my mpg will drop to low 30's. Part of my strange joy is mpg so I watch this pretty close with a calulator.
  5. Sandbagger
    So is it true what is being posted here that there is a personal comfort different between a water and aircooled engine? If you have a water cooled engine that is not encased would you expect it to keep the rider cooler or warmer compared to an enclosed engine (Gen 1 & 2 & GW)
  6. Sandbagger
    As I said, I have an 83 Gen 1. I get that they are a good value. The problem is that the bike is 30 years old. The parts don't exist. The ABS plastic is disintegrating. Sooner or later it is time to say goodbye and that time might be sooner when it comes to long trip reliability. I agree they are good deals. I am an average guy with avg mechanical skills. I think to keep Gen 1's going at this point an owner needs to have better skills than I do and be willing to get stuck. I want more reliability than a Gen 1 gives me.
  7. Sandbagger
    Thanks for your reply. Based on your rec, what years do you think r the best value? Were there any great innvoations or body style changes that make one year a better value than another? It seems that a bike is worth so much after so many years and it doesn't depreciate any more.
  8. Sandbagger
    I have a 83 Venture. I like it fine, but there is a question whether I am throwing good money after bad sometimes. I like to put 500 or 1000 miles on in a couple days and there is a question whether I am going to get back home. I have always bought used cars for value. Tend to try to buy good cars that don't hold their value well (Town Car for instance). I love touring a lot of miles. In your opinion what is the best value for a touring bike? I would consider reliability, maintainance, looks etc. I ride solo so the back seat is not a big issue for me. Don't mind Harleys, but they keep their value extremely well. Seems like the Yamahas don't comparitively for example. Might be better deals. I know I am going to get many different opinions, but that is what I am after. Look forward to your thoughts. Bob
  9. Sandbagger
    Well, I added Seafoam and it does work better, but certainly not fixed. I forgot to add was backfiring out of the right muffler. Think this is from a bad gasket on the right side. I added the venture rear lights and really had to pressure the muffler to get it on. Been backfiring ever since. Gas mileage was good on the 2 tanks I went through today. Low 40's on both. How does a person know when they need carb work, syncing etc? This has been out of my league
  10. Sandbagger
    I have an 83. Typically runs pretty good but having some issues. 1) Have to use choke to start it now. Didn't used to need to. 2) Smokes quite a bit when starting. Not impacting oil. 3) Slow off the start. 4) Having a hard time keeping it going. Idle doesn't seem to be enough. Dies at stop. 5) Notice on the highway that every 10 seconds or so the RPMs will drop from 3500 to 3300 for a split second. Would appreciate any insight you might have. Thanks Bob
  11. Sandbagger
    I live in South Kansas City. I have a full set of plastic for a 1983 XVZ1200. Bought a second set so I could fix and paint. Want to get rid of the original. All bags, side fairings, fenders, front fairings etc. It's in the kind of shape you would expect. $100 and pick up by Dec 31st or I am taking it all to the dump. Don't want to deal with shipping. Let me know. Bob
  12. Sandbagger
    I just finished a lot of body work and painting on my bike. If the crack is severe I thought things were pretty easy. It is ABS so I used ABS glue. When cracks were not severe it was tough to get into the crack it was less effective.
  13. Sandbagger
    Dear Condor, I appreciate the reference to going up and down hills and wind resistance, but doesn't all that come off the table? I'm saying that going down the highway at 75 mph at 4000 rpms would be less efficient than going down the highway at 75 mph at 3000 RPM on a Gen 1 if it were possible. Maybe the issue in my head is that the final drive impacts the motor from 1 mph to top speed. Maybe what I really wish I had was a different top gear in the transmission. I appreciate you taking the time to discuss. I know barely enough to be dangerous.
  14. Sandbagger
    Condor, I'm not an expert on motors so don't bury me. I'll give you my logic on why I think a "bigger" gear would increase my gas mileage. If an engine is running at 3000 rpm's isn't it taking in the same amount of gas into the pistons per revolution? If it is in 2nd gear running 3000 rpm's and I'm going 30 or whatever or it is in 5th gear going 3000 rpms going 55mph I would still be using the same gas per rpm. It doesn't use more gas per rpm does it? So the gear allows me to go a further distance per rpm. The 1983 was geared for the laws for a 55 mph speed limit. It seems perfect for going 60. It just seems like it would be perfect if it had one more gear that could run down the highway at 3000 rpms and get some good gas mileage. If my logic is off I would love to hear it. Bob
  15. Sandbagger
    I have an 83. I have posted before and would really like gearing that worked better at highway speeds. My 5th gear works great on the highway, but I am up in the high 3000's to 4000 and get 35 mph at 70-75. Could I change my final drive out to something that made more sense for the highway? I know the bikes are quick and all, but that is really not my thing. I'm interested in better mileage and lower rpm's for the highway. Thanks, bob
  16. Sandbagger
    Thanks to many people on this site, that have helped me put together my bike. I also repainted it while I was at it. I'm not a purist so I wanted to make it yellow. I like yellow and I am pretty big on safety. I never really cared for the fairings with the previous color (maroon) but I like the way the brighter colors pop. I am sure that many people won't like it and that is fine. For those of you that have ever wondered what brighter colors might look like on this body style this might give you an idea. Thanks again to all those that have helped me with my bike. Bob P.S. I bought a duplicate set of fairings for my bike so I had an extra set to work on and paint. I now have a fairly complete set of fairings from an 83 for sale if anyone is interested. Would sell all of it for $250
  17. Sandbagger
    SaltyDog, Thanks for the post. I have an 83 that I have been working on. Quite dissatisfied with the lighting. Do you believe the route you have taken is the best way to get the needed light? I have read where some people think that 83's should upgrade to a later year (86 maybe) What do you think? Bob
  18. Sandbagger
    So if I need to bleed both are they activated by the brakes? Do I bleed the antidive first and then the brakes or the reverse? Appreciate the help. Bob
  19. Sandbagger
    On the front brakes there is a 6 " hose connector from each of the calipers to something in the front. Do I need to bleed at the calipers or also bleed the bleeder in front of the calipers?
  20. Sandbagger
    This makes me feel a little better. I thought I was just completely incompetent. Thanks for the help guys.
  21. Sandbagger
    I am trying to bleed the brakes and they are spongy. I understand the rear brake is linked with the front left. I have speed bleeders. If someone can give me specific instructions for bleeding the front hand brake and the integrated brakes I would sure appreciate it. I am not being successful. Thanks for the time.
  22. Sandbagger
    I have been restoring my fairings and I have used ABS glue. It appears to work well when you can get it in the cracks and truly glue the two pcs back together. I think using some fiberglass cloth with ABS glue would probably work better if you cant' get in the cracks.
  23. Sandbagger
    Hi There, I have been through collector box hell. The inside of these things has a metal baffle that becomes loose over time. I needed to take mine off and took it to a muffler shop. The guy pulled the guts out and welded it back shut. The baffles don't do anything I believe. The bang on the bottom of the collector would be a little risky and not particularly effective from what I saw. The baffle was disconnected in multiple spots. If not now they will be soon. The weak point on my collector was the exhaust connectors. I would be careful about banging on it because if you break a neck on the exhaust connector you have a $400 replacement problem.
  24. Sandbagger
    Was reading this post and while it was old I got plenty out of it. I'm 47 now. Haven't crashed in 25 years because I have hardly been on a bike in 25 years. A different person ago I made several mistakes on my motorcycle. Luckily I lived without longlasting problems and this is what I learned. I won't get on a bike after 1 beer unless if I have slept for the night. (Not saying it should be anyone elses rule. Just mine) I don't drive to work as a habit because I think that people are so busy paying attention to their cell phones and everything else other than driving. I build in enough time on my trip that I can always delay due to bad conditions, not feeling right or whatever. Don't ride unless if my head is clear. Yes I ride like no one can see me, but my ego believes that it can happen to me as well. All I'm trying to do is lower the risk. Only a full would believe they could eliminate them. We play a dangerous game.
  25. Sandbagger
    I know the obvious answer is when it is wet and below 32 degrees. From a safety stand point, when do you consider it too cold to ride. I am not looking at hypothermia impact. I am trying to figure out tire traction impact. Thanks, Bob
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