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MikeWa

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Everything posted by MikeWa

  1. MikeWa
    Why? The AIS doesn't use any power and actually does reduce some emissions. It doesn't even weigh that much. So unless it is broken or you are getting some popping in the exhaust or something there is just no reason to fool with it. Mike
  2. MikeWa
    Another vote for this approach. Find a course in your area and sign both of you up. Then just take her with you. You will both be glad you did. After the course the two of you can decide what kind of bike she wants to ride. Does she want to sit up straight and be able to look around or does she want to be doubled over etc. It doesn't sound like she can be swayed by logic or fear. So perhaps comfort and style ight be a consideration. I mean it is hard to show off that chest or wave at the guys with your feet behind you, your tummy tight against the tank and your arms stretched over your head. Then when a decision is made go to the store and rent a couple of bikes to see what she really prefers. Best of Luck Mike
  3. MikeWa
    Ha ha ha ha ha ha. I want one of the 7.5 cylinder nitrigen cooled models with a gyro. Mike
  4. MikeWa
    +1 on a plugged vent. Mike
  5. MikeWa
    I agree with Freebird. The best performance mod is the V-Max rear end. I find myself hitting the rev limiter more often since my gear swap. hehehe. So I decided to go with the Dyna3000 to bump up the rpm limit. Problem is the unit I got doesn't work right. After installation my tach went crazy. The bike was hard to start . And I had popping in the exhaust. Going back to the stock ignition cured the problems. So I sent the Dyna off th the warranty center for a look see. They promptly returned it to me but their paper work just says tested good. I don't know if that means they couldn't find anything wrong or if it tested good after repair. As soon as we get a break in the weather I will reinstall it. I am still hoping for the best. Mike
  6. MikeWa
    Time to plug it into a scanner and see what is going on. Mike
  7. MikeWa
    I have not done the Peninsula yet either. So if the weather settles down we can try and set a ride. Mike
  8. MikeWa
    Yes it was an awesome trip. I really enjoyed the Venture. I cannot think of any motorcycle I would rather have been riding. The Venture handled high speeds, low speeds, traffic and desolation. We encountered high winds, passing semi trucks, freezing cold and hot desert. The Venture just shrugged it all off and provided an enormously pleasant ride. The bike was absolutely reliable. That said, I felt like there were a couple of areas that could use some improvement. The gas tank turned out to be easy. I just punched the filler neck. Done deal more fuel capacity, yea. Getting more power turned out to be a little more complex. The Harley guys spend a lot of money putting in stage two kits and stuff like that. Not something I want to do. The fuel octane seemed to make no difference what so ever. So expect to pay a mpg penalty for altitude and wind. Matter of fact when my Harley friend was searching for hi test I was quite happily pumping the cheapest stuff they had. No pings, no knocks. All naturally aspirated engines loose about three percent of their power for each thousand feet above sea level. I can't help it. It's science. Look it up. You will notice it more depending on where you start out from. For me I started at sea level. So it boils down to reserve power. Does your engine produce enough power so it can withstand the loss without your noticing it? I noticed it. I felt my engine was sluggish and not liking fifth gear. I felt like it was lugging. My gas mileage and jumping out of cruise control seemed to confirm this. Dynomometer testing later indicated no problems with my bike and even showed it better than the Venture tested in Motorcycle Magazine. So what to do? Some people just run in fourth or third and that is fine. But if I have fifth I want to use it. That's just me. So after much agonizing I finally switched the differential to the lower gear V-Max set up. Wow what a difference. Even riding around town here in Seattle the bike seems much happier. More power in all gears. More torque and I get to use fifth. I am looking foreword to my next trip. Mike
  9. MikeWa
    I have changed my rear end set up to the V-Max gears since this trip. I expect this to have cured the power issues. So I am anxious to make another trip and see what happens. Mike
  10. MikeWa
    I was thinking about making the ride through Vegas again this year but am looking at US-97. I have also been wanting to ride the old Lincoln Highway cross country... What to do? What to do? So much time and so little country to see. Mike
  11. MikeWa
    Made the run last year from Ely to Las Vegas. Gas is available at Pioche,Panaca and Caliente. Fill up before leaving Ely and you should be ok. There was some road work north of Vegas. Hopefully that is completed by now. Stop by Area 51 on your way into Las Vegas. See if there is anything flying about. We took the long way around so we could ride "The Loneliest Highway". It was a great trip. Well worth the extra time. I did a report on it on this forum Mike http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60093 Page 2 Trip to texas PDF
  12. MikeWa
    Hate to say it but the biker got what he deserved. There was no reason for him to start kicking the car. And yea the Fiet driver over reacted but when a big guy in a leather jacket on a motorcycle tells you he is going to kick your a** and starts kicking your car ,,, well. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. Mike
  13. MikeWa
    The Venture uses an ais system for emission reduction. There is no power loss associated with this system. So long as yours is not a California model it is probably just fine. (I just have no experience with the California models) Mike
  14. MikeWa
    I would consider it but I probably wouldn't do it. Mike
  15. MikeWa
    http://www.ehow.com/how_5207091_read-visual-basic.html Good luck
  16. MikeWa
    Run a Google search. There are a lot of repair kits available. Mike
  17. MikeWa
    You are just being jerked around a little. The truck co is liable and they know it. They just don't know if you know it. Their theory is deny and delay and you will probably just go away. As said above a lien on their truck will get their attention. Or subrogate the claim to your insurance company. They know how to collect. Mike
  18. MikeWa
    Don't know about you but we repaired the units in the shop as well. And sometimes (late in Nam) we did troubleshooting and repair in the air. MOS was Airborn Radar Repair which included nav aids, integrated flight systems, iff, and radar beacons etc. At the time we were still heavily vested in vacuum tubes with few circuit boards which made for lots of tracing faulty wiring. But nice to hear from another Airman all the same. Mike
  19. MikeWa
    Well that sounds like a worth while Venture. Mike
  20. MikeWa
    Can't help ya. But I agree with you. BS is BS. It doesn't sound like an alcohol issue. Could be water but unlikely because of the alcohol. So think mechanical or electrical as being the most likely culprits. Good Luck Mike
  21. MikeWa
    Wow great story. Nicely written. My helmet is off to you for just going for it. Your performance experience is similar to the one I had on a long cross country trip. (posted last year) Non turbo or supercharged gasoline engines loose about 3% of their power for every 1000 feet of altitude gained above sea level. So figure a 20% drop in power, headwinds, and a long but steady uphill run and your fuel mileage will suffer significantly. I actually had my Venture dyno checked after my return just to make sure it wasn't some sort of engine or tune problem. My bike being a second gen I have since changed the differential to the V-Max. I am hoping to make a repeat trip later this year. Should make for a good comparison. I have learned though that on these cross country trips through the West it is almost always windy and the wind is always a quatering head wind. Turn around and go the other way and so will the wind. Mike
  22. MikeWa
    Yes I was. Black box tech on B52s. Electronic troubleshooting is the same though. No matter what it is on. Mike
  23. MikeWa
    I mean everyone knows a double yellow line means pass faster.
  24. MikeWa
    I have ordered from them on several occasions. They have always done well for me. Mike
  25. MikeWa
    Not necessarily true with a gps. Mike
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