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nbowersock

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Everything posted by nbowersock

  1. nbowersock
    Texas allows motorcycles to use the carpool lanes, but we call them HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes.
  2. nbowersock
    That was the number one complaint: no Cruise control. So Honda made it right in 2015 and added it as a standard item. The Deluxe also added the passenger backrest and heated grips.
  3. nbowersock
    Thanks again everyone for your help and input. I will be needing even more in the near future, lol. Today I signed the paper work for a 2015 Honda F6B in Matte Silver. For anyone unsure what a F6B is, it's a Goldwing with a smaller windscreen and no trunk. Think of it as a Honda version of a HD Road Glide. So a new bike with much to learn. I know many of you have GWs, so I will be leaning on you guys for advice on maintenance and accessories. I guess the next thing is to list my 2008 RSTD in the For Sale section. Pretty sure the boss wont let me keep both.
  4. nbowersock
    Hey All, I want to thank everyone for their input and advice. Friday I test drove a Springfield and sadly did not fall in love with it. I'm 5'11" and 230 and felt just slightest bit cramped on it. Also apparently all the pictures I looked at actually had add-on items. One of my biggest concerns after ABS was engine cooling as I live in north Texas. I figured as a minimum having an oil cooler would be good enough, but it turns out that an oil cooler is a $500.00 add-on that is NOT part of the 2-Up riding package. Grrrr. I will say in person these bikes are even prettier than in pictures. It looks to be a very solidly built bike with great attention to detail. Only oil changes needed every 3k miles. No value adjustments necessary. Nor is there an annual requirement to service the ABS. The wind screen was perfect for my height. I was looking over the top of it, but got no wind buffeting on the highway at 70 mph. Those were big pluses to me. The heat coming from the back head was not that big of a deal after a 30 minute test ride on both the highway and some back roads on a beautiful 81 degree Texas afternoon. I met a few guys that owned Chieftains that had some different ways to mitigate that issue, so no biggie there. It vibrated way worse than I expected. Not so much at idle like HDs do, but on the road it did. Either that, or I'm spoiled with how smooth our 1298 cc are, lol. Toward the end of the 30 minutes both my right hand and my butt where starting to feel buzzed. Didn't like that at all. The nail in the coffin was the price. With everything I wanted on it (2-up Riding Package, Oil Cooler, Heated Grips) it was $24k out the door. An extra $1500 would get me an extended warranty. While I did not do any hard negotiating, it looked like there was not much wiggle room on their side. I never went into what I could get for mine as a trade in as $24k was such a high starting point. So the search continues. May go look at the Honda F6B. Its a slightly different style, but many of you guys have switched to Gold Wings and love them so much I might try one out. Thanks again for all you help.
  5. nbowersock
    Thanks Guys, You each bring up great points for me to ponder. Thankfully there is a dealership close to both my work and another not too far from home, but on road trips parts and service could be an issue. I also was taken back by the price, but a combination of current incentives and a standing offer from a co-worker on my bike migh make it doable if the dealer is willing to drop a bit. I will def watch for any heat coming off the rear head, thanks for the heads up. If anyone has some knowledge of the maintenance and durability I'd be grateful to hear from you. While it would be nice to hear that the Indian is as bullet proof as the RSTD, I'm more concerned if it's closer to HDs in durability. Like I said, I take my bikes to work everyday I can.
  6. nbowersock
    First things first: I love my 08 RSTD. She fits like I glove and slowly over that last few years I've made some modifications to make her even more special to me. Nothing huge: new grips, highway pegs, new air filters, chopped windscreen. But I would love her more with fuel injection and especially Anti Lock Brakes. I've ridden her to work as weather allows and wasn't deployed to the sandbox since I got her in 09. Now twice in the last few months I've locked up first the front tire on a curve (damn gravel) and just yesterday the back tire on the highway. I'm very grateful to report neither incident caused me, or her, any harm, but it has got me thinking. Been waiting a while for Yamaha to do just a few upgrades without and word from them. So enter the 2016 Indian Springfield. Same design and look of my RSTD, Windscreen, hard saddlebags, 111 c.i. motor, electronic cruise control but with, you guessed it, fuel injection and ABS. Sooooo I have a test ride scheduled for Friday. If anyone has in or experience with the new Indians please let me know. You guys and gals are great. Either way I'm not leaving the forum.
  7. nbowersock
    Got mine right on time, 2 days ago for an October 21st expiration date. BTW, paid! Thanks for a great site.
  8. nbowersock
    Dave, The Clearview that the Marshall and I have is the 21 " model with the recurve and the vent. I think the vent helps more with reducing the low pressure pocket directly behind the screen, which generally is the cause of passenger buffeting, than any cooling of the rider. My height is 5'11" and have no issues looking through the windshield. I see no distortion with regard to the recurve. As Bill stated, the wind reduction of the windshield due to it being 4" wider is significant. Bottom line is I love it. As to gas mileage I went from 44 down to 42 as an average mpg. I have the stock windshield I'll just ship to you of you want it. PM me and let me know. Nico
  9. nbowersock
    I too had heard about the completion times with Clearview, but at Christmas they had a great sale so I tried them. My experienced turned out to be the opposite of what I'd in many ways. First their communication was horrible when I had questions about their product, but great once I got the info and placed an order. I was informed of every phase of processing. Strangely, my last email from them was that my shield (not available in stock) would be manufactured and shipped in the next 10 days. TWO days later, it was delivered to my house. My order was incomplete as the lowers I had ordered were not in the box. One email to Clearview and a prompt reply apologized for the mistake and assured me the lowers would be sent ASAP. They arrived 4 days later. What did I take from my experience? It was much the same as many others; some good, some bad. I believe they read their emails, they just don't answer them. I would classify the company as lacking a bit (seriously, just a bit) in professionalism and customer service, but the bottom line was the quality of the shield (and the lowers when they finally arrived) and that was perfect. PM me if you want a detailed review/comparison of the Clearview over a stock shield. Bottom line: I am extremely happy with it and have no regrets. Can't say I wouldn't be leery doing business with them again though.
  10. nbowersock
    Thanks Boomer. The holidays are always tough when you're far from home. Little things take on a much bigger meaning and the smallest things bring a sense of normalcy. I don't post much, but I visit as often as I can. Thanks for thinking of us. Nico Currently in Baghdad, Iraq.
  11. nbowersock
    Nice one!! !:rotf:
  12. nbowersock
    Count me in. I just need a excuse to meet some fellow riders. BTW, Hurst Yamaha just did my 12k for $264.00 (minus changing the engine oil, filter and blowing out the air filters I did myself). Plugs can be done by you as well. I'd be happy to help. Nico
  13. nbowersock
    Hi, my name is Nico and I'm an idiot (hi Nico). It been two weeks since my last idiototic episode. (pause) It's tough, you know. I see knives and chainsaws and bowling balls and I want to juggle them. But the I remember what happens when I start down that road: next I'm in my socks, standing in a puddle using a drill with a frayed chord. Then one day I wake up at the bottom of a ladder I was standing on the very top of to reach that last Christmas light with a huge headache. We are all idiots, the question is can we admit to it?
  14. nbowersock
    We have the 32 gb wifi only version. Everyone in my family loves it! I use it for books when I'm away from the house. When I'm home it's nice because I can check email while I move around the house (the wife is not screaming for me to get off the computer). My kids loves the games we found for them. Much easier to carry around than a laptop. You can put movies on for when you have those errands where you know you will be waiting. I even put a bunch of my reference manuals for work on it so I always have them available. The wife and I both have iPhones so we don't miss the lack of 3G coverage. The one issue we have is with web surfing. Apple still has not integrated flash into their web software so there are a lot of websites that don't display fully (most car and motorcycle manufacturer websites use flash). Everything else is great.
  15. nbowersock
    Finally got them on! Overall I don't think I would recommend them. I think they look great once they were on, but the work was much more than "remove and replace." The left grip was a snap. Thanks to all for the advice on removal. The right one was much tougher. These grips come with a rubber liner on the inside that is separate from the rubber portion of the grips. The grips do not come with a new sleeve for the throttle, so I ended up using the original sleeve. It will not fit inside the grip even with the rubber liner removed due to the ribs on the sleeve. I had to shave the ribs on the throttle sleeve down enough to fit in the grip and have enough contact area for the glue. Now for the weights: the ends of the grips are machined perfectly to allow the weights to mate to them. However the Novibe grips are about 25 mm longer than the original grips so, the bolt is too short and I will need a spacer for the right grip so as not to bind the throttle. Finding 6mm by 100mm replacement bolts has not worked out so far. For now I am running the grips without the weights to see how I like it. Again, I think it will all work out in the end, and I admit I love to "tinker" so never felt lost. It just was not as "plug and play" as I expected, but the throttle assist looks and feels great! I will post pictures shortly. Nico
  16. nbowersock
    I too was there. Thought it was a great show. Now the bad news, by walking around and talking to the Yamaha guys it seemed obvious that the days of the Royal Star are gone There was ONE Venture surrounded by 5 or 6 Strats. The Strats were in all in different levels topping out at a $30,000.00 one with full fairings both top and bottom. Now let me be clear, the rep said nothing about this being the end of the Royal Stars. However, he could answer every question about the Strats: accessories, features, colors, maintenance, and had NO info on the Royal Stars. No 2012 info, no upgrade info, no anything. While the Strats are beautiful, I can't bring myself to consider an air cooled V twin with my hour plus Texas commute. Left the Yamaha area pretty depressed about the future of our great bikes. Took the opportunity to sit on the other bikes. They all looked great from afar. But nothing that came close to my RSTD. Overall just solidified how lucky I am to have a bike I absolutely Love! Going to be keeping her for a long time!
  17. nbowersock
    Thanks to all for your thoughts. I bought a set today (the guy threw in the throttle assist) and will post a reveiw as soon as I get them installed and take a good ride. Also bought a set of Saddlebag Top Rails Nico
  18. nbowersock
    Anyone tried the Novibe Grips? I'm looking at replacing the stock ones and saw these on flebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390258573446 Thanks, Nico
  19. nbowersock
    Ridetime, I have not had any issues with the chirp since the final drive was "adjusted". I've put almost 4k on her since. The dealer has not got back to me on the "letter" about this issue with the spacers. I've called and left messages twice and talked to the Service Manager also twice, he is very nice but never seems to have it in front of him. This is a bit frustrating as I was hoping to better put out some info on this topic.
  20. nbowersock
    Thanks guys, I really appreciate your input. I now have some interesting things to consider. I will be sure to find out if the iPod function will work through the headset on whichever headset I buy. It's amazing to me that with the apps you can get for smart phones these days my Zummo 550 is almost obsolete. Almost. Think I'll keep the phone in my jacket. Most of the mounts I saw did not allow for a protective case.
  21. nbowersock
    Has anyone mounted your iphone to the handlebars? I’ve found the ads so I know they exist, my questions is more about your experience. Have there been any long term issues with vibrations? Are you worried about when it rains? Do you have it wired to the bikes electrical system for power? I am looking at getting an iphone 4 and also a Bluetooth headset (maybe scala, not sure yet). I have a Zumo 550 and am thinking I need to link the phone separately from the Zumo since the Zumo only does Bluetooth in mono, not stereo. So I woul This would require a headset that allowed for multiple connectionsd have the Zumo for traffic and Nav, and use the iphone for music and incoming only calls. Does the iphone need to be mounted for this purpose, or would it be better to keep either in my pocket or in the saddlebag with an external power source? My commute is about an hour each way.
  22. nbowersock
    Have any of you come up with a way to mount your DOD decals that won't ruin the paint/chrome/windshield? I was thinking about putting the sticker on a plate, then somehow attaching the plate to the bike (windshield mount bolts?). This would allow me to remove it someday without damaging the bike surface where the decal was. If you have done anything along this line please share your ideas. Thanks, Nico
  23. nbowersock
    gibvel - Mine would not start until 40 exactly (according to my GPS) it would stay until 43-45 depending on ambient temperature. Then would return at 58 mph and continually get louder with speed (the fastest I ever went was 80 and it was screaming loud). The majority of my driving was highway at 65 or so. That put me right in the "whine curve" for the majority of my riding to-from work.
  24. nbowersock
    davecb, I had to take a last minute to Fort Polk LA for a few days. I will be back on Thursday and get to the dealer ASAP. The intend of my post was only to share my experience. That experience being after all the reading I have done here I would have bet serious money on the notion that my bike had a chirp, not a whine, and therefore was a clutch issue. A whine being a rear end issue. So I was rather skeptical when the dealer expressed their belief that the chirp was coming from my rear drive. Then I was proved wrong by the fact that they fixed it by doing something to the rear drive and now the chirp is completely gone. I'm sure many people have had chirp issues that were the clutch. My chirp sounded just like the Jettson's car, but it was a rear drive and not a clutch problem. Regards, Nico
  25. nbowersock
    SilvrT, I'm not familiar with the mechanics of the rear drive. I am just trying to pass on the information the tech told me. On Tuesday I will try to get a copy of the "message" I was told about to further the info on it.
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