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V7Goose

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  1. V7Goose
    Simply keep going back to the same post you want to use and re-edit it to add more or insert a picture anywhere the cursor is. All pictures must be added using the Manage Attachments, like you did above. Then if you don't do anything else with them, they will just show up together at the end of your post. But if you want to insert one at a particular place in the text, first add it with Manage Attachments, then use the paperclip icon at the top of the message editing window to select a picture to insert wherever the cursor is at that time. Like this:[attach]28232[/attach] If you want the picture to be flush with the left side, add a carriage return before you insert it. If you want the following text to start at the right bottom corner of the picture, just start typing immediately after the picture. If you want the following text to start at the left side UNDER the picture, add a carriage return after the picture before you start typing. If you are going to insert several pictures in the same place, add a couple of spaces between each one so they are separated a bit. Don't be shy to experiment and edit it as much as you like to get the post to look like you want. When you get all done with the writeup, just let me know which post you want saved for posterity, and I will move it to the Tech Library. Goose
  2. V7Goose
    We decided to just sit out the day here in the great metropolis of Logan, New Mexico - here's why:
  3. V7Goose
    Dawned danged cold - bike was showing 24 degrees when I first wandered outside! Forecast for Perryton wasn't showing much warming all day, with winter storm coming that night, so if we didn't roll, we might be there for several more days. The only positive outlook was that temps further west in Clayton were supposed to be hitting the 40s, so we decided to hit it with lots of hope. The good news is that the temps did steadily climb as we headed west along the northern border of the panhandle. From 28 degrees when we left, they were pushing 50 when we got to Clayton! I had good gear, and with my heated grips I never even felt cold, so it was a good ride. We stopped for a great lunch at Maria's Country Cafe in Texline, then headed south along the New Mexico border. Other than a pretty stiff breeze, the riding conditions were great. Lots of interesting things, if you like the high dessert like I do. That country is just swarming with antelope! By about two in the afternoon we were just bombing along having a great time when Cyote61 pulls up lame, Dumb guy forgot he was s'posed to avoid nails when riding a mopickle! No shoulder at all, so we just kinda stop in the middle of the road and start pulling the patch kit out. Couple of antelope watching us, but you can't see them in the picture unless you have supernatureal powers: [ATTACH]27082[/ATTACH]There are a couple of antelope in the distance, right near the top of the fence post, honest! [ATTACH]27084[/ATTACH]Time to dig out the tools. [ATTACH]27086[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27083[/ATTACH]Just a little nail . . . [ATTACH]27085[/ATTACH]And the plug. The nail wasn't much, but it went in at a real ugly angle. I carry mushroom head plugs, but with the angle of the hole, they just didn't seem to seat right. Tire did hold air, but we could detect a slight leak that probably would be noticeable in a day or two. Best we could do out there, so we decided to head on to a town and find some goo to add inside the tire and finish the job. We made the next 75 miles into Logan with no problems at all, but when Tom pulled up next to me at a hotel the tire was clearly not fully up - and 10 minutes later it was flat again! Looked for the plug and it was nowhere to be found! I worried about using it in such an angled hole - guess I was right. The good thing is we happened to stop right next to a NAPA store, so bought their tire goo, stuck it in, and problem solved! Friday morning looks cold and almost snowy here - forecasts for the border all the way down to Hobbs are mixed, but radar shows freezing rain. Looks like we might just sit it out all day in Logan before heading out in warmer weather tomorrow. All in all, yesterday was still a pretty good day - weather ended up in the 60s, and even the flat wasn't really a problem for us. And ANY day on a motorcycle is better than the best day not riding! Goose
  4. V7Goose
    Drilling is absolutely NOT advised for this. Obviously an electric drill creates lots of sparking in the motor, but any kind of drill will put metal shavings in your tank. NOT good. Use a punch or leave it alone. Just my opinion. Goose
  5. V7Goose
    The Disabled pass gives you access to any federal park, monument or other facility that charges for entrance. Goose
  6. V7Goose
    I have never been in for medical care from the VA since I got out back in the 80s, so I guess that is why I don't have one of the current ID cards. Just never trusted them. Guess I'll have to plan on going by the VA hospital in Dallas and get one. Thanx! Goose
  7. V7Goose
    Here is a link to the article in our tech library: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=302 In my experience, you need at least four holes of good size between the front and right side (high side on the side stand). If you make sure the awl is in contact with the filler neck when you strike it with the hammer, there is no chance of sparks. Goose
  8. V7Goose
    On my RSVs, the instruments have been VERY reliable and consistent for close to 80,000 miles now. I think if mine were broken, like yours seem to be, I'd simply have them fixed instead of saying not to trust them. Goose
  9. V7Goose
    Hey Don, if the going rate for a carb sync is $250 now, let's cut everyone a deal at maintenance day! How 'bout we do 'em for $150 and split it? The house takes $75 and I'll buy Jack with my $75!! Let's see, about 20 bikes x $75 . . . Course, I might need to sleep over in the front yard for a few days before I'm sober enough to ride home!!!!
  10. V7Goose
    How DARE you sell loud pipes to my brother!?!?!?!?! You should be HUNG! Actually, they don't seem that loud. And even if they are, Tom would never admit it! I'm probably pretty well known here about my thoughts that loud pipes are socially irresponsible (I guess I have insulted some members with my comments on same). But his Bubs aren't that bad. I wouldn't want them, but when he passes me at speed, they are not annoying, and if he pulls in front of me, I don't hear them at all. On a different note, I really appreciate the suggestion on Cattleman's Steak House, but you need to zero it in just a bit more. When I look it up on my GPS, there is one IN Fabens, to the west of I10, and another one in the same area just a bit further from I10 on the EAST side. So just which one should we wave at when we rumble by at 10 AM Monday morning? Actually, I have no idea if we will be there in time to consider running down for dinner on Sunday night, but it would be good to know for sure which one you recommend. Thanx! Goose
  11. V7Goose
    Cold danged ride today! S'posed to get into the mid 40s from the forecast, but no way - most of the day was at 33, and it briefly hit 37 before it dropped back off. We had good gear with us, so mostly comfortable except for fingertips, but after several days of 80 degree riding, it's a bit of a shock to adjust, ya know? We rode all the way up the east side of the panhandle as planned - got to Higgins... Man, just in case you are ever traveling in the area, do NOT plan on staying in Higgins! I wouldn't let my cat stay there, and I ain't even got a cat! Here is a picture of the bikes at the ONLY fuel in Higgins, looking across the street to the great 5-star hotel (the only option there, too): [ATTACH]27016[/ATTACH] So we hit the road again, looking for something that didn't make the skin crawl. Ended up in Perryton, right on the norther border of the panhandle. Will head on over to Clayton, NM, tomorrow, and see what the weather brings after that. I'll include a few other pictures so far. [ATTACH]27017[/ATTACH]QuickSilver loaded up, waiting for Cyote61 to come back from Oklahoma after missing the turn at the Dennison Dam. [ATTACH]27020[/ATTACH]Here he comes! [ATTACH]27021[/ATTACH]We thought the 07s were blue, right? Not after some dirt riding! [ATTACH]27018[/ATTACH]Shook hands with Texasyamahamama in Nokona - couldn't hang around long. [ATTACH]27022[/ATTACH]Cyote61 in his electric gear and 33 degrees, just wishing I'd get my ass on down the road and find a room! I'll post more as we go - wish you were here! Goose
  12. V7Goose
    Based on my personal experience with three RSVs, the tanks hold six US gallons, the fuel light and trip meter will trigger with 1.5 gallons left, and I regularly run 30-40 gallons on reserve before I fill. If I slow down just a bit (anything below indicated 70), I can get 60 miles on reserve if I don't have a head wind. If you are just riding on a straight level road, you probably won't get quite as far on reserve since there is no leveling hose to connect both sides of the tank. You need to be doing some leaning and up hill riding to keep sloshing the fuel over to the lft side. I have put in over 5.8 gallons several times without running out, but I vented my filler neck long ago - that is the only way to get that last half gallon in there! Goose
  13. V7Goose
    WHAT VA ID card? I've had a 40% VA disability for close to 30 years and they never gave me any card. I do get an annual letter from them verifying my disability percent for use with state/local taxes, and that is what I used to get my free lifetime park pass. The pass is just a plastic credit card with no real info on it - you are supposed to use it with a picture ID. Goose
  14. V7Goose
    OK folks, we are hold up tonight in Childress (right at the base of the panhandle on the eastern side). We originally expected to stop a bit further east tonight at Vernon, but with such fantastic riding weather today, temps in the 80s, we decided to push on a little further in anticipation of the nasty cold front coming through tonight. Sure enough, about 10 minutes after we started unloading the bikes at the hotel, the wind direction spun around from the south to the north and the temps immediately dropped about 20 degrees in 15 minutes! Tomorrow won't be our most comfortable day running up the eastern side of the panhandle. We left Texarkana Monday morning, poking along the Red River in whatever dinky roads we could find. We hit a couple of dirt tracks up there, and even though the bikes handled great on the gravel, we really didn't appreciate the nasty mess, so we decided to avoid more of that stuff today. Well, no luck on that plan! In Texas, you can count on all state roads being paved (and US highways, of course). In addition, we have roads called Farm to Market and Ranch Roads which are maintained by the individual counties, but almost always paved. County roads, on the other hand, are almost NEVER paved. So I checked the tracks in my GPS to make sure all the roads were at least FM level and thought we were good. The worst stretch was about 10 miles where a FM road just magically transformed into a county road, without an intersection or anything. I didn't catch that, so when we got there it was a bit of a surprise. My brother was dragging a trailer, and there didn't seem to be any place to reasonably turn around, so we just decided totough it out. NASTY! Hard to even see what color his 07 RSV is now!!! Oh well, it is all part of the adventure. We stopped by Nocona to say Hi to Texasyamahamama - because of the dirt road delay and thoughts about trying to push further today 'cause of the cold front, we didn't hang around long, but it was great to see her again. Sure would have been a treat if she could have hopped on her bike and gone with us! After that, we bypassed a short bit of the border zig zagging to DD it straight to Childress and get under cover. We'll see how tomorrow dawns and how long we want to ride in the cooler temps! More to come . . . Goose (and Cyote61)
  15. V7Goose
    Yes, you just bend the tab. Make sure to measure the same side on all the floats and to keep the tool exactly perpendicular to the float bowl surface for the same reading on each. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    I have posted in other threads about this- in the RSVs I have personally checked, ALL the carb floats have been set VERY HIGH from the factory. This would certainly aggravate the problem noted here, if not actually be the cause. If the neoprene float needle tip is not damaged, and the valve seat is clear of debris, just setting the float levels correctly might be all that is needed. Goose
  17. V7Goose
    The fact is, the carb heaters are ONLY powered when the bike is NOT in neutral. The carb heater relay is normally closed, which connects power to the carb heater thermal switch any time it does NOT receive a ground from the neutral switch. When the bike is in neutral, the carb heater relay is activated, which shuts OFF the heaters. The second fact is that the carb heater thermal switch turns ON (supplying power to the heaters) when the temperature drops to 20C (68F). At this point,the carb heater thermal switch remains ON until the ambient temperature behind the right battery cover reaches 26C (79F). I do not know what the thermal switch does if the bike is turned off when it has been switched on, but the outside temperature is still between 68 and 78. I suspect that when the bike is started again it will remain on, but I won't yet call this a fact. The third fact is that I believe the easiest way to permanently disable the carb heaters is to simply unplug one of the leads to the thermal switch under the right side battery cover, or to unplug the carb heater relay in the same location. It is easier to pull the battery cover than the right lower fairing. If you want the option to just disable the carb heaters on demand when you need the extra juice (possibly if your battery is getting weak or you decide to plug in that heated snow suit), just install the cutout switch I describe in the tech library. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    I'm right, but you won't tell that from the schematic. I originally thought it ONLY came on in neutral, but another member set me straight. The only way you are gonna figure out the truth is to manually test the circuit. Not looking at the schematic right now, so hope my memory serves: The problem is that Yamahaha's stupid schematic does NOT tell you that the activation relay is a normally-closed relay instead of the more common normally-open. So the ground through the neutral switch OPENS the relay and shuts them off. Goose
  19. V7Goose
    Just like Squidly said, you will get different opinions. However, I don NOT agree with him on the Silverstar bulbs. These are great lights, but you must get the SilverStar ULTRA for extra life in our application. I have used these in two RSVs, plus my brother's RSV, and numerous personal friends in the local area with RSVs are running them. I think the extra light output is close to phenomenal; the color is very white - so much so that the stock passing lights are quite noticeably yellow when either looking at them directly or comparing all three light spots on my garage door. To add one more piece of evidence, I first tried the SilverStars after Motorcycle Consumer News did a test on them. That magazine takes no advertising so they can say whatever they want without any fear of outside pressure (similar to Consumer Reports). I have found that MCN reporting is of such high quality I no longer read ANY other bike magazines. I respect them a lot, and I found that I personally agreed 100% with their report on the SilverStars. They have a terrible web site, but you may still be able to find that report on-line at http://www.mcnews.com. Hope you find something you like. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    I suspect you just don't have the clutch plates/[ressure plate aligned right. Going from memory now, so I can't exactly describe it for you, but you just need to carefully re-check that all the plates and friction discs are aligned in their proper notches. I seem to remember the pressure plate has notches in it that must fit in the same notches as the steel clutch plates. I'm pretty sure this is your problem. Make sure the punch marks are properly aligned and the pressure plate is seated correctly before you tighten the bolts. Should work fine. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    Don't be so picky. Most of us just settle for anything that holds air. All joking aside, there is a tremendous amount of information on this site about tires, all you have to do is a simple search. I personally have done a lot of tire testing on this bike; here is one thread. The topic may be about the choice of size for the front, but it also covers a bit on tires selection. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20815&highlight=tires My personal choice at this time is the Avon Venom. I get about 15,000 from a rear, compared to 8,000 on that horrible stock Brickstone. I am interested in trying the Dunlop EIIIs - all reports I see on them compare quite favorably with the Avons. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    OK, water would even cost less than that. But it ain't the same stuff. I am not advising against using pure naptha, if that is what you want, but it ain't the same stuff either. Yes, Sea Foam Motor Treatment is 25 - 30% naphtha. But it's main ingredient is called "pale oil", 40 - 60%. And the rest is IPA (alcohol). I am not a petroleum engineer, chemist or any other label that would give me special knowledge about exactly what this particular "pale oil" does in their product, but a little research shows that pale oil seems to be a fairly generic term that covers a lot of different products for very specific uses, ranging from thread cutting lubricant to skin treatment. In fact, even the term "naphtha" is fairly generic referring to any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents. You may choose to just consider the pale oil a filler with no value for the specific purpose of this product, but I suspect there is little to support your belief. And I kinda doubt that Sea Foam would agree with you either. Have you tried actually asking Sea Foam about it? They'd probably prefer having a chance to answer a real question about their own product than you using them for information about how to use something else you bought cheaper from somebody else. No, I don't own stock in Sea Foam, nor am I even advocating the use of their product. And I don't think that there is necessarily anything wrong with your suggesting that others try "pure" naphtha. I just wanted to point out that you may be doing other members a disservice to imply that pure naphtha is effectively the same as, or maybe better than, the Sea Foam product. In fact, based on my quick research, I doubt that you can believe any two different products that are labeled "naphtha" are actually the identical compound. For all I know, running pure naphtha at the equivalent maximum concentration recommended by Sea Foam for their product may actually be harmful to your engine without the "pale oil". Just like running methyl alcohol without corrosion inhibitors is harmful. The point is, I DON'T know, so I personally will stick with the product labeled for that use until I do. But thanks for the suggestion - made me do some more research on my own! Goose
  23. V7Goose
    Hey Mike, my brother and I are just about to start a trip all around the perimeter of Texas; he rides an 07 RSV and I have an 05 RSV. We'll be stopping near Corpus one night, and it would be great to maybe meet up with you. Not only would I like to put a face with a name, but it might be a great opportunity for you to talk with a couple of us in detail about our thoughts and experiences with these machines. Give me a shout if you'd like to meet up, and I'll keep in touch as our trip progresses and we get closer to Corpus. Goose
  24. V7Goose
    The Venture, at least the second gens, seems to be a bit of a strange duck when setting up the carbs. If you check the parts list you will see that three of the four carbs use different jet sizes! I have no idea why. Furthermore, the shop did a professional carb setting on my bike a few years ago with a real shop quality exhaust gas analyzer, and when they got done I checked and wrote down where each screw was set - none were close to the others! And my own testing later with the Gunson Gastester absolutely confirmed the individual settings they left each carb at was correct; they were all running right at 2% CO. I'd have to check my notes to see what the "average" setting might be for the mixture screws, but my best advice for someone without testing equipment is to use a tach and find the highest RPM for each carb, then turn that screw in about 1/2 turn. That will get you close on these engines. The RPM change from adjusting only one carb is quite subtle, so you really have to pay attention. And it is possible to do this just by ear on an RSV - I've done it - but that is even harder than using a tach! Goose
  25. V7Goose
    I wrote last fall about how unimpressed I was with the Colortune to set the fuel mixture, and I promised then to report back on how my exhaust gas analyzer compared - well, here it is. Sorry it took so long. Most exhaust gas analyzers are quite expensive - $2,000 to $5,000! And my research shows that there are not a bunch of Cheap types, then a bunch of expensive one, they are virtually ALL expensive. So when I found one that I might actually think of buying, the Gunson Gastester, about $230, I had to think long and hard about just how good this thing might be. The few reviews I found on the web were contradictory - some said it worked well, others said it was junk. I took the chance, and I am glad I did. Before I go there, however, let's talk about the three ways I know of to approach this task. First is by ear and a tach. You simply turn out the mixture screw until the engine reaches the highest RPM, then back in just enough so the RPM begins to drop off. I am never comfortable with this method, since it seems so danged imprecise, but when I have used it and then compared it to instrument measurements, I have always gotten it quite close. Second is to use the Colortune - a device with a glass window in the spark plug so you can see the color of the flame. I only tried mine once, and I was unimpressed by how far you could turn the mixture screw in either direction before seeing ANY change in the color of the flame. That one time, when I got done - just guessing where to leave the screw, it turned out to be almost the exact right setting. I can't imagine it was anything but luck. So I think the Colortune is good only if you have a carb so far out of whack ANYTHING you do might be better. Real exhaust gas analyzer, where you can actually know how a change affects the combustion. The Gunson Gastester only measures CO%. This is not everything that a quality instrument would measure, but CO% is a good indicator of the combustion efficiency. The biggest problem I have with using a CO meter is that I have not been able to find any published spec from Yamaha on the CO setting for this engine, so I just have to use general engine info. Basically, CO% in free air is about 2%, so CO in exhaust at 2% is about as perfect as you can get - less is too lean, more too rich. Generally, an engine running anywhere between 2% and 4% CO is good. The Gastester is very cheaply made - seems like flimsy plastic, and the part that actualy reads the CO is just held on with double sided tape that falls off. This does NOT give one confidence. Most important to know, when the instructions tell you that this device cannot be moved after the 10 minute calibration, they ain't kidding! Any movement at all will send the numbers out the window! It is slow and tedious, with lots of waiting for calibration and readings to stabilize. But it DOES work. I don't have time to do a proper writeup with pictures right now before my trip, but I will when I return. I found that the setting of the mixture screws is fairly sensitive, with as little as 1/4 turn making a noticeable change in the CO%. This is particularly important when I contrast it to the Colortune, where turning the screw TWO or THREE entire turns did not seem to change the color of the flame at all! Hope that info is of value. Ride Safe! Goose
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