Rob Swallows

No fix as the composition of the plastic is breaking down from the UV radiation of the sun and element exposure.

Thanks a bunch. Pretty much on the same path as I with exception of I want to use a torsion axle rather than a slipper spring setup. My box will measure a bit larger than yours also but will be adjusted with the suspension to give a good balance of height, and running profile. I may even make the suspension adjustable for tongue weight with pins and polymer pads. It will be used much more often if easy to load and have easy access to the contents. I should know more tomorrow when I speak with the vendor about suspension of which way to go. Thanks, Rob

How sensitive are the electronics on this motorcycle to welding? I know to disconnect the battery but anything else to do prior to welding? Would be a lot easier to get a few good tacks into the hitch and then bench weld it solid. Thanks, Rob

Well today I modified the mount for my hitch receiver and it's just about 3/8" down from the rear fender chrome band protruding rearward of this band about an inch. There is a strengthening band welded around the tube and it will be painted silver to blend in. I've not welded it up solid yet but should get that finished tomorrow as I want to add additional bracing to limit stress imparted to the upper saddlebag mountings . I don't quite know the finished mounting height from the deck as the bike is lifted at the moment for access clearance. After it's welded up solid I'll remove from the bike, bead blast it clean in the cabinet and drop it off to the powder coater for finishing.

Mine are being subject to road wash and yellowing for some reason. I used to paint many clear bugshields on the backside for cars and trucks in the 90's the color of the body and will probably do the same with this bike. I too like them "blacked out". Rob

Thank you kindly for your research. I was looking through some photos online and discovered other's tubes about even with the chrome on the rear fender so will raise mine. I was guessing at the tube distance to the rear tire but wanted ample clearance for articulation of the swing arm and rear tire through loading. I know it'd been easier to just purchase a ready made hitch from Carbon One but I've had the materials for this over a year so wanted to expend them; they were purchased for this project. I agree on the hitch or insert type and it can be sized appropriately once I get a trailer either purchased or made as we've discussed. We have a powder coater about four blocks from home whom will get this stuff next week after testing. I also plan to make a receiver insert with a "T" on the end to fly both the "Stars n Bars", and a "Venture Rider" flag such as yours if I can afford it..... I have a 1.25" aluminum square tube of enough length so it will be lightweight and easily removable. Thanks again for your time. Rob

Never a pleasant thing to read nor go through. I have a grand daughter w/cerebral palsy. It is hard also. Best wishes and of course prayers for your family and little one. Rob

I'm fabricating a hitch for my 05 Midnight Venture from 3/16" wall 1.25" i.d. square tube. I have the rear wall of the tube 1.250" from the rear tire with weight on wheels and bike level. The horizontal tube is 11.5" from the floor to the center of the tube. The rear fender chrome band is 12.5" from the floor. I can raise the horizontal tube to just below the chrome band easily as nothing is welded yet. As everything is clamped now the center of the receiver hitch is 11.5" from the floor but can be raised to 12" easily. With all that said, should I raise the hitch level to 12"? By the time I weld everything solid and weld the chain anchor plate to the bottom tying both the stinger and receiver tube together, it shouldn't go anyplace. Thanks, Rob

After reading many complaints with the Metzler brand I have I'm probably going back to Dunlop also. That's what I always ran on other bikes, (Elite , and Elite II as it's been quite some time) but will go with the latest. I've always liked the wide whites on a dresser type bike although black will look good also. As with most of us married guys, my wife will make the final decision.....

Looks really nice. Mine pales in comparison. What tires do you have? I like the wide whites and may do the same. Thanks, Rob

Good people about an hour and a half away. I too have patronized them in the past; easy to do business with. I will be inquiring about if they can get the axles also but haven't yet. I have an open account with Redneck and get most lighting and trim parts for semi trailer repairs from them. Thanks, Rob

Hi Steve; Yes it did arrive but I've not done anything with it yet. Been tying up a lot of loose ends prior to retiring at the end of this month at work. Very good quality of your product I can tell as have worked with molex, amphenol, cannon, etc. type plugs for many, many years. Your electrical print is easy to follow and should present no problems. I hope to be on this later in the week. The carburetor kits being wrong have wracked my schedule a bit but suppose I'll get over it..... Thanks a bunch, Rob

I was actually thinking of making the lid become a staging area when it's fully open also. We are thinking very similar. Three swing open restraints/rests mounted on the exterior of the hinge side would keep it parallel to the ground when fully open. Restraint chains could be used if just wanted to open a bit past 90 degrees. The lid shouldn't be too heavy to operate standing at the rear corner and opening if it is stiff enough to resist flex, or twist. I expect this would be about 30" from the ground but I've not really put any thought to finished height yet. I can readily weld aluminum in my shop as I have the needed equipment. I was planning to use 1.5"X3"X1/8" wall 6063 aluminum tube, (1.24# per foot) or 3" aluminum architectural channel, (.72# per foot) welded together into a full parallelogram space frame for the tongue to pull from, and box to bolt to. Either would suffice in the application but the tube would be stronger. Although 6061 alloy offers better tensile strength, 6063 is far more corrosion resistant. It would probably be prudent to attach the suspension to the frame also no matter which type, (torsion, or spring) used. I called over to the Redneck Trailer branch in Normal, IL yesterday to inquire about a 600# Dexter "Torflex" axle but did not receive a call back. I'll look to see what this axle will cost with new aluminum wheels in either 12", or 13 inch sizes and will purchase tires from my normal vendor. Although I didn't weigh anything on the suspension I have, it looks as if it will be quite heavy with the physical size of the 4" drop forgings of the spindles. I assume these are either 3K, or 3.5K axles by their appearance which would be far too heavy in the needed application.

Thanks again guys for the input. I think my son and I are going to move on building our own as a team effort. We used to work together a lot fabricating things in my shop and the fondness of building something ourselves is very appealing. He has a Honda VTX-1800 motorcycle which had a trailer hitch installed when purchased but was removed and stored citing he didn't think there would be an interest in a trailer. Well after my interest comes forth, and the thoughts we could share custody of this thing, the plot was hatched to build our own. I weighed two sheets of 1/4" luan underlayment plywood in my shop and it weighs right at 17#'s per sheet which is about .54# per square foot. I'm thinking of building a coffin style box with internal measurements of 72" long by 30" wide by 20" deep. The front 24" will be blanked off with a partition wall to separate the generator compartment from the storage compartment citing gasoline fumes permeating clothes and other items. Doubt that would happen myself but best err on the side of caution. This box will be double walled with sheet rigid 3/4" Styrofoam insulation board between the inner and outer sheeting which will all be glued and screwed into place around the perimeter. If my calculations are correct, and using the material listed along with 3/4"X3/4" square timber around the perimeter of all points, the weight of the box will be in the mid 90 pound range. I'll know more on the suspension in a couple of hours as I found it in the weeds but have yet to retrieve it..... The carb kits were not for my application so needed reordered. Seems like kids can't order things correctly from a paper catalog anymore as they weren't listed on the computer..... I got plenty to do otherwise and not a single float level matched another. I read that to be common from a V7Goose posting of several years ago. Nothing against Harbor Freight or their merchandise but I don't support them. When you make a living with tools, it's best to spend good money for good tools so I really don't go there.

The generator I plan to carry is either a small Honda 2K inverter generator at less than 50 pounds, or a 3k inverter set at about 70 pounds. The target is no more than 400 pounds and am willing to shift what we carry to accommodate. I'm used to pulling heavy and wide with everything I drive but don't have any experience with a motorcycle in this scenario. I certainly plan to get a few miles under me empty before starting out on the big road as I can't be correct on everything envisioned to carry. However, we've always been tent campers and these small inverter generators are the nuts being so quiet and convenient. Hard to give that up once exposed. Thanks, Rob

Well this is probably going to sound a bit nuts to most of you folks but after speaking with both trailer manufacturers I was considering, neither is willing to meet my criteria. I spoke with mini trailer in regards to their "Prowler" series and they strongly advise against pulling this trailer with a motorcycle as it's geared toward either a trike or small car. They highly recommend their "Nomad" series of which is neither tall, nor wide enough to support my cooler internally as I want it placed/oriented. Their trailer weighs a bit over 200 pounds empty: http://minitrailerusa.com/nomad-trailer.htm and my target maximum is 400 pounds as per website participants suggestions. The other trailer, a "Lumina XL": is 190 pounds empty, but again too small for some of my specified criteria: http://theusatrailerstore.com/lumina-xl-motorcycle-trailer . After speaking with my son whom is an accomplished woodworker, (I too am proficient) and needing a joint project, we have elected to build one instead using either an old camper suspension I have, or purchasing new torsion 1/2 axles. I'm inclined to use what I have as a test bed although it's on spring but I knocked the camper off the frame many years ago when it rotted the wooden structure away. The suspension is good and I'll narrow it up to fit the 30" width trailer I'm deciding upon. Given I've been a maintenance and repair welder for almost 40 years I'm pretty sure I can handle that part acceptably well. The box will be lightweight plywood and spar construction. I spoke with a couple of my friends in the GA, (general aviation) community at Peoria's airport today and they'll order materials for me to get their discount if need be. I figured what I'm wanting using "Luan" type plywood and it should come out close to 100#'s minus the underpinnings, and topcoat(s). That old camper had 14" "Dexstar" wheels and the brakes were good if chosen to work with them. They really are pretty light and spring leaves can be removed. I'll have to jump on the skid steer tomorrow and dig this thing out of the weeds to get a few measurements and weights. I also have a 70's vintage Kelsey-Hayes trailer brake controller used in the past on very light trailers so may give this a go but don't know yet. I'm really concerned about trailer "push" and the small brakes on the bike if used solely. I'm trying for about a 42" track width if possible. If we do build this thing it will have an externally accessible and isolated compartment for my small generator to be run in. Neither of the other places had interest in any kind of custom work; only their standard production items. I'm pretty much like Henry Ford said, "you can have any color you want as long as it's black" in thought process so the bases are covered here. Shiney is nice but "chrome don't get you home" they say. Should have carb kits tomorrow afternoon as they supposedly shipped today. I'd like to get the bike back to running condition before tearing into it for the rountine services recommended by participants on the site. I've purchased all new synthetic fluids and greases to change everything out except for the engine oil which I mentioned is Honda branded GN-4. The rear lube is 75-90W Mobil-1 synthetic as is the grease for the splines and wheel bearings F&R. I don't have any leaks, drips, or errors, but do suspect everything with the exception of the engine oil is original to the bike w/13,400 on the clock. I'll also check the brake pads f&r with the service being performed. Appreciate the guidance. Thanks, Rob

I'll have to remember that as just received mine yesterday. Got it hanging on the bike now, but have not lifted yet.

Howdy; Getting ready for the long road trip at the beginning of September and starting to lay the groundwork. My questions pertain to all inclusive weight of bike, passengers, trailer, and cargo. The bike as we know is a 2005 Midnight Venture. The trailer will either be a "Lumina XL" series with an empty weight of ~190 pounds, or a "Prowler" brand at 285 pounds empty. The "Prowler" is much roomier albeit heavier. I have a new Coleman "Xtreme5" cooler at 70quart capacity which should be a snug fit into either trailer crosswise, to carry foodstuffs along the way. Also into the trailer will go a Honda 2000W inverter generator and a few small electronic gizmos which travel along. Of course luggage and normal things carried along with any trip will be included. We plan to both tent camp and hotel stay along the way. My wife really isn't into truck stop showers so have to rule that out. She also won't use a tree for a bathroom..... My wife and I are not really large people with a combined weight of about 300 pounds so the bulk of my questions amount to how much weight can I pack into the trailer safely? I've never pulled a trailer in the past so a new experience for us. Neither have brakes but the "Prowler" has room for modifications including compartmenting the front part of the trailer for the generator enclosure, and electric brakes can be added if desired. To keep sticky fingers at bay I like to keep everything enclosed and out of site so a tongue mounted cooler won't be used. Any feedback appreciated as I tend to follow experience of which none exists for me at this writing. Thanks, Rob

Yup but I don't know how to post photos here. I'm a bit computer illiterate and don't participate in other forms of social media.

I'm Meandering around the front yard picking up fireworks debris from last night. What a life!

I have owned at least one of each car you list. I still have my high school car which is a 1968 Fastback Barracuda 340 4 speed all original I've had it since April 26th 1976. Guess you could say I'm still a Mopar fanatic. My daily driver is a 1999 Dodge Durango with a 360, my truck is a 1996 Dodge 3500 with a V10 gas. Those are on top of the several antique Mack Trucks I have also.

Hasn't stopped raining for over 19 hours as I type this. Slows down to barely, then deluge again. Rob

Well I'm all over and into watching the grass grow with the rain finally. Been really dry for a spell. Sanding body parts? Done that a time or two owning four auto body shops through the years.....

Well with the weather as it is raining hard down here I have been cheated out of the excitement of watching paint dry.

The glue idea is good but you need to "stop drill" the ends of the existing cracks prior to glueing it up. A 1/16" twist drill would be large enough for "hairline" cracking.