Great White

Myth. Sugar doesn't dissolve in fuel. No different than pouring in sand. Still, nice to think about if you have an "enemy" or ex.....

Sounds cool, but at the same time it makes me think I'm getting too old because I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time on it or ride behind it for very long...

Something like the BMW 1000 gtl: http://justbikes.in/upload/bike_wallpaper/398/bmw-tour.jpg Toss a VMax 1700 in there (no watering down, full hp), take some styling cues from the 83-91 bikes (just cues, not a rehash, kinda like what Ford/Chevy did with the mustang/camaro), give it some nice sticky (but decent lasting) radials, top grade adjustable suspension, some decent comvieninces like heated grips Bluetooth integration and such, make it so it looks good with and without the top trunk and set it loose on the public. Cost? Meh, bikes are through the roof on prices everywhere anyways. Everything from 250-1700 streetbikes are just stupid priced these days. But despite the public outcry of having no money, they all still sell. So make it comparable to the BMW or 'wing in price and see how it goes...

Personally, I'd like to see a new Venture that was built to go "toe-to-toe" with the 'Wing. But that's not likley to happen any time soon. That market segment is too expensive, too small and the 'Wing has long since locked it down tight as a frogs ass when it's underwater....

Change of tires and you're good to go!

Meh, looks like they took everything that's fun about a monkey bike and messed it up to me. No wheelies, no dirt trails, no sliding around on the seat, lots of extra weight for nothing (look closlely at those great big useless shocks), etc.... Looks cool, but that's about it. Monkey bikes are made for riding fun, not staring at.....

I gutted a rolling codes homelink sunvisor for the controller and buttons. Going to be mounted in fairing of my 83. It's programmable so it doesn't matter if I move to another house with a different opener. Will also work with other homelink devices like automatic gates, lights, etc. Wired to the bike's 12v electrical system so no batteries to change and it's always available.

Just ignore it. Sometimes people data mine Craig's list/Kijiji for email addresses to sell. They send you an email, you reply and then they get your real email in the reply and you start getting spam shortly after.....

Helmet mount here. I use a contour 1080p HD though. This is not my helmet, but mine is mounted the same (even had the sena on the LH side too): http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/acalliste/Gear/f5cef851.jpg It's great for showing a riders perspective when on the helmet, which is what I want to look at after I've filmed it. I think a go pro anywhere in my helmet would drive me nuts....big square and boxy. I find the contour a much better match for helmet mount, but each person has their own preference.

I wish you could get them that cheap here. Exchange rate is right around .75 and most amazon.com sellers don't ship to Canada. Cheapest I found on Amazon a few secs ago was 139, so 175-ish Cdn after exchange. Amazon.ca has the 3801, but it's 195 CDN plus 35 bucks shipping. Canada never gets free shipping from Canadian sellers. Canada doesn't get the deals you guys get south of 49.... So we often have to go looking for "alternate sources" or dig deep and hard for a deal. That's why 30 bucks is a screamin' deal if they fit.

Money wise, probably worth it to use hotels/motels for traveling, especially if you only do it a couple times a year. For the money we spent on the trailer, probably could have staying in hotels for the next ten years when traveling. No setup and tear down is also a plus. Problem with that for us is we have 3 big dogs. Makes hotels a PITA. Getting them in and out, annoying other guests, worrying if they even give a woof, only allowed to use certain rooms or your just not allowed to stay at all. Traveling with our trailer just makes more sense for us convenience wise. All depends on your personal situation I guess. It also doesn't hurt that our trailer is probably nicer than 95% of the hotel rooms out there!

Ran across this on a random google search: http://www.sealmate.net/ Their claims seem kinda high about how well it works (just looks like a shaped piece of plastic), but for 5 bucks there's not much to loose in giving it a try. I just bought one for the heck of it. If I ever get a weeping seal and it milks it through a season it will have paid for itself. I've seen a lot of guys on the goldwing forums recommending the "Progressive monotube conversion". Can't tell you much more than that, but google should turn up some info. I do seem to remeber most saying it wasn't cheap though...

Nah, Just 2-3 weeks or so. I contacted the guy to see if I could buy another, but apparently I bought his last one. you're gonna spend 200-300 bucks to get one of these in Canada, so 30 bucks (well, 40 Cdn) is a screaming deal....

Most tourers might not care about this, but I tend to push the V pretty hard and I know how much better cartridge forks can be than old damper rod tech on uneven pavement. Even on a "straight up and down" touring bike they are much less harsh all the way around. So digging around on the web I found several references to emulators on eBay for 30 bucks. That's considerably less than race tech wants for them at around 170 bucks. But the question is: do they fit? The eBay listing shows them for Harely models. That can't work in a 1st gen.......could it? So I look a the eBay listed specs: Says for 41mm forks and an outer diameter of 31mm. Doesn't sound right does it? The Venture in 40 MM forks. So I tick over to the race tech site and look up the part numbers for the listed Harley models from the eBay auction and the 1st gen Venture. The Venture lists FEGV 3801 The Harley lists part no. FEGV 3802 That's damned close enough in part numbers to warrant closer investigation. Luckily, race-tech has a part number chart and they even list the specs. Long story short, comes out like this: [TABLE=class: MsoNormalTable, width: 769] [TR] [TD=width: 108] Part No.[/TD] [TD=width: 238] Description[/TD] [TD=width: 63] Price [/TD] [TD=width: 42] OD [/TD] [TD=width: 65] Step D [/TD] [TD=width: 46] valve Dia [/TD] [TD=width: 73] Adapt req [/TD] [TD=width: 260][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 108] FEGV S3801[/TD] [TD=width: 238] FK EMULATOR-31.0/25.0/16.0[/TD] [TD=width: 63] $169.99 [/TD] [TD=width: 42] 31.0 [/TD] [TD=width: 65] 23.9 [/TD] [TD=width: 46] 16.0 [/TD] [TD=width: 73] N [/TD] [TD=width: 260][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 108] FEGV S3802[/TD] [TD=width: 238] FK EMULATOR-31.0/25.0/16.0[/TD] [TD=width: 63] $169.99 [/TD] [TD=width: 42] 31.0 [/TD] [TD=width: 65] 23.9 [/TD] [TD=width: 46] 16.0 [/TD] [TD=width: 73] Y [/TD] [TD=width: 260][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [TD=width: 65][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] here's the pic they reference: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/valve_zpsahga3onm.jpg Same valve specs except for the adapter which is a circlip to mate a smaller step D dimension to a larger damper rod! The OD is the ID of the fork with the required clearance to operate (min clearance 0.106 mm according to race tech site) and the Step D dimension is the size needed to sit in the top of the damper tube. Step D is where the circlip would go to fit it to the Harley forks. So for 30 bucks, I figured not much to loose and ordered one up. I've got the race tech specs and can verify the measurements are good when the eBay one arrives. The emulators are even adjustable for compression damping performance, although to will need to pull the valve out to adjust the nut on the top to stiffen it up or loosen it off. Still, more adjustments than you get with the stock damper rod. Nice price savings if it works and cartridge fork action for the old V. It also removes the ineffective anti-dive units as the emulators are kind of "built in the design" anti-dive: http://racetech.com/page/title/DRod%205-1 Win-Win-Win if you ask me. Now sure, the seller lists the source as "Imported" which we all know means "China". But everything comes form China these days anyways. Probably where Race-tech even sources theirs from. It's not like they're complicated to make. CNC mill couple pump out bucket-fulls and hour. Doesn't bother me one whit if it comes from China either if it saves 140 bucks and gives modern style leg performance for my old horse. Fingers crossed....http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z21/KilroyCD/fingerscrossed.gif

There's plenty of heat coming out behind that radiator. Maybe try a little bit of ducting to see if channeling some engine heat down there helps keep boot and foot warm. If it does, maybe look at making a more permanent duct with a valve you can open and close as needed? We do something similar with bleed air in aircraft. Well, it's an idea at least......

Problem with battery operated gloves is the wattage they pull. Batteries that would fit in gloves won't be able to keep up and will die a very quick death. Personally, I wear insulated gloves in summer, switch to insulated gloves in fall when I'm uncomfortable and if I need more than that it's my sign that I should not be riding any more that year (black ice and whatnot by that point). If you want decent heated gloves though, you're pretty much stuck with plugging in. Or you might be able to get away with some hot packs in your gloves. Problem with those is your fingers will still cool pretty fast.... Maybe heated grips might work for you? You can buy them as aftermarket kits for around 100-200 bucks, depending on how fancy you want to go. Would probably keep fingers warm and you're not connected to the bike.

It almost sounds like you've answered your own question. Lots of guys like the FJR1300 too. Might be worth a test ride if for nothing else than a comparison. The RSV is a different class of bike than those types of rides, as I'm sure you're well aware. The Beemer doesn't look like it gives you a lot of options for "foot movement" either: http://www.motorcycle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/052014-2014-bmw-k1600gtl-exclusive-20140518_172810-1.jpg Looks kinda "locked in" that way. I'm a "feet under me" rider (gives me better control of my 83) as I like to hussle through the twisties too so i understand what you're looking for. But stretching out now and then to the highway pegs on the front engine guards is a welcome change on long rides. Really extends my seat time between stops. I don't need floor boards out there, but I do need the option to stretch it out when I want to. The beemer is also only going to be so fast through the twisties. It specs out at 770 lbs from what I can find onlline. Closer to 1000 I'd say loaded with rider and kit. It's likely faster than a RSV in corners, but 1000 lbs is only ever going to be so agile. But the engineers at BMW are also pretty savvy at getting their stuff to work better than you would think. The better ground clearance alone might be enough to scratch your itch when cornering with your buds. If you're flicking back and forth in switchbacks for extended time with near 1000 lbs though, you still going to tire out. It takes it's toll on you trying to hussle that much weight through repetitive corners, no matter how good the chassis is. The questions I guess I would ask is which bike will suit most (or all) of your riding needs and the next question would be how fat is your bank account? No matter which way you slice it, BMW makes stonking good kit. Hard to go wrong with it....

Well, your thread is about opening the mufflers so I'll stop with defensive driving/ riding. You seem to be getting a tad heated (and a touch insulting) so time to stop. We differ on opinion and that's fine by me. I am also a 35 year rider with not an accident so what I'm doing works for me. The usual dirt bikes as a pup, started racing at 15, street bikes at 16 and im 50 now. Worst I've ever had (on the street) is a sore ankle from whacking a bumper I was just a tad too slow to completely clear in an avoidance maneuver when I was 17 (my speed was an issue and the car was stopped) and a torn knee when I was 16 that was my own fault from entering a corner too fast and discovering dump trucks had turned the outer part of the lane from clean pavement to mud. http://www.tlemcen-electronic.com/forum/images/smilies/svengo.gif So, drill the holes. But like I said I would suggest you do them in the bottom so you can weld them up if you don't get what you want out of it. I'm out. Have fun with the V.

Noise is never the solution. It's neither an active or passive "safety element". It's definitely not part of defensive driving. If anything, it would be termed offensive driving. Noise is just noise. Urban riding just bounces noise off every thing so often nobody knows where you actually are if they can't see you. Visibility (and situational awareness) is key to increasing safety, not sound. By the time someone has blasted the horn because they think someone is going to hit them (assuming you can actually find that tiny, little, seldom used horn button in time), I'm already gone from the danger or I never get into it because i see it coming. All I've ever had use for with a horn is to express my "displeasure" at something after the fact. Too late then to save me. I prefer to make sure I'm in a drivers sight or well clear of any area where they could do something stupid and put me in danger. Bright clothing and lights on is also very helpful.Most drivers out there aren't a-holes, they don't want to hit anyone. If they see you, they are going to avoid you unless they are distracted or are being inattentive. To avoid you they need to see you, not hear you. We drive by sight, not sound. A quiet, reasonably appearing bike also makes the officer much more likely to believe your story if it all goes wrong even if you did your best to avoid. At the end of the day, there's not much you can do about a poor/distracted driver, except avoid them. If you want louder exhaust, that's cool. It's your choice. That's the beauty of freedom of expression: I may disagree with you but it just means I disagree. Nothing else. But don't fool yourself into thinking loud pipes makes you any safer. It doesn't. If you're going to make holes, I recommend you do them in the bottom so you can weld them back up if you find it sounds like ess-hit. Lots of times, holes just sound like air leaks or a rotted out exhaust system.

Loud pipes don't save lives. That's an old myth used to justify it to a certain type of rider who wants to have straight pipes. In fact. I've seen them almost cost lives by people jerking the wheel as this gawd awful noise roars up beside them. Defensive riding saves lives, loud pipes just scare people and piss them off. By the time they hear your noise you're past them anyways and only the people behind you are getting the "loud pipes". Those that are behind you don't matter a wit to your safety. Anyways, personal choice I guess, but the "saves lives" thing is nothing but bunk. Not trying to sound like your dad, but that saying really gets my goat. Pure, unadulterated BS and all it does is give us all a bad name as a group. The 1st gen Venture is pre-emissions so non of that to worry about there. The V isn't a a stopped up engine. Quite the contrary, it's pretty free flowing. That's how they get the 98-odd HP out of it. Only way to get more is rework the heads and cams like they did on the VMax. Letting an engine "breath better" also usually results in less performance. It may sound faster, it may fool you into thinking it feels faster but on a measured performance test it's going to be slower. what it really does when it "feels faster" is it has created dips and flat spots in the power curve. When it comes out a a dip it "feels" faster than before. The same thing can be seem on the VMax and with VBoost. The VBoost feels like it hits like a 2 stroke coming on the pipe when it opens, but the VMax is measurably faster when a stage seven kit is installed which eliminates the VBoost system. It's all trickery to make the bike seem like it hits hard. Don't get me wrong: a VBoost equipped VMax is faster than one of the European ones without VBoost, but the Stage 7 kit with just open intake pipes (and a free flowing exhaust) is even faster. Yet it doesn't hit like a VBoost VMax coming out of it's "dip" it just pulls hard the whole way through. Translation: the "Butt Dyno" is usually lying to you...the "ear dyno" is always lying to you. More air needs more fuel or it goes lean. Lean can get you more power, until you cross into too lean. Most bikes are set up lean form the factory as delivered so increasing "breathing" 9 times out of 10 just tips it into too lean and performance drop. If you want more noise/louder, that's up to you. Most guys I've seen just drill holes in the end cones like the dude in the video posted above. That's pretty much your only "no cost" modification for louder. The 2nd gen guys have a procedure of taking theirs apart (IE: cut them open), alter the interior bits, and weld it back up again. Makes it louder, I have no idea on what it does to measured performance. There's a few threads on the board if you search for them. Might be something you can apply to a 1st gen, but you're cutting your own path with that one I think. Your bike, your call.

Car is not bad. Not great, but not bad. I think Yamaha would be making a good move pushing into the auto industry as long as they are smart about it. The sure have the engineering prowess for it and would have instant brand recognition. The big money is in the auto market. A side bonus is if they got into the auto market and were successful, that means more corporate money to spend in other areas, like thier music and motorcycle divisions. I like this idea because with solod cash flow, they can take more risks in designs and types of motorcycles. Like Honda has done trying to push into niche markets with the CTX and F6B. Both cool bikes but you have to question two "new" models competing for the same segment from the same company. I'd say they're throwing them out to see which sells better and drop the less successful one later on. Risky, but potentially rewarding if you grab the whole niche before anyone else horns in on it. The rest of the manufactureers end up playing "catch up" once you've grabbed the niche, like the Goldwing/Venture wars in the 80's. One manufacturer after the other firing heavy shots across the bow of the other. But Honda can leverage their huge cash base as a corporation to offset their failures and when they hit a home run, its usually a grand slam. Or they just hold on and outlast they other guy, kinda what happened with the Venture and now Honda owns the heavy tourer market now. There's no real directly comparable model out there to the 'Wing. At then end of they day, we win as motorcyclists if Yamaha builds its cash base larger and the freedom to take more risk means more models and more choices from mamma yamma instead of having to "play it safe" with what already sells.

I personally dont see any attraction in noise for the sake of noise, but If you just want more, drill holes in 'em. Also, the road King muffler swap seems rather popular. There a couple video clips around here somewhere. Here's one (skip to 4:38): Keep in mind he's in a garage which makes them sound a bit louder/different than outside.

LOL! that video is the guy that claims he's got a VMax engine in a Venture and then clearly shows it's got venture heads not VMax. Some guys.... He just punched holes in the end of hte muffler itself to make it loud. Not recommended......

Not sure. They sure weren't economical to use back then. They were primarily developed to maintain sensor reliability in connections when FI started to become prevalent. I'm slowly converting over all my connectors on my bikes to the weather-pak style. Some of the larger ganged plugs are hard to come by though and expensive when you do find them...

I hope it's a joke, or you're soon to be in for a rough ride methinks.....