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colmike

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Everything posted by colmike

  1. colmike
    I've owned my 2012 Red Goldwing/ABS for a couple of months now. I love it! I just wish it had more buttons/switches. Holy Crap!
  2. colmike
    I've been running the Michelin Commander II's on both front and rear. I love them, and the improved handling of the smaller front tire has been fantastic..., my opinion. I was running stock sized Avon Venoms front and rear before changing out to the Michelins. The Venoms rear tire showed bad sidewall cracking and required replacement after only about 4K miles. That's what prompted my change to the Michelin's and I have been very pleased with their improved handling. Again, just my opinion. Nothing scientific other than my seeking normal road challenges, e.g. tar snakes, just to test their handling. My experience over the past 3K plus miles has been that the Michelins handle much better than the Avons, and vastly better then the original Bridgestones. I've also found that U-turns and parking lot maneuvers are much simpler with the narrower front tire, and I have not noticed any handling problems at speeds above 100 mph. Hope this info helps. YMMV. Good luck in your search.
  3. colmike
    Sounds like a wonderful adventure. Have fun, and return safely.
  4. colmike
    Check out the amplirider amp http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplirider.html. This may do what you need. Good luck.
  5. colmike
    I've got one in the Fort Worth area (Keller) that you're welcome to use if you can't find something closer.
  6. colmike
    I took the more extensive tour described here http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/DamTour.html several years ago and found it both interesting and educational. It's truly an engineering marvel well worth seeing. It should also be a good ride up and around the area on your scoot. "Where can I get some dam bait?" Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie in Vegas Vacation.
  7. colmike
    Great to hear you guys found a place. Scenic area with lots of interesting roads. Sounds wonderful. Let me know if you need a hand with anything between now and the move.
  8. colmike

    Moon River

    colmike replied to SilvrT's topic in Watering Hole

    Andy Williams was a great entertainer and will be missed by many. Sure beats rap. Just my opinion. Hope he's in a better place.
  9. colmike
    The bike with painted all liquid silver with the standard RSV pin striping before changing the lower color to the KU Blue. All parts were painted, both silver and blue, with the pin striping now hand painted rather than decal. I'm very pleased with the results.
  10. colmike
    First, thanks for all the positive comments about my motorcycle's new paint. The blue color was named "True Blue" by PPG's Marketing department, but I call it KU Blue. Both Kansas ( I'm a Jayhawker) and Kentucky use this same color on their football helmets. Now for the update. I just returned from a Fort Worth-Leander-Marble Falls-Fort Worth trip and I could swear it's faster now with the new blue paint. Why is that? Not really, but it's fun to think about anyway. Again, all the positive comments sure make me feel better about my paint investment. Big thanks to all of you.
  11. colmike
    This is a paint project I had planned since first purchasing my '05 Liquid Silver RSV. I have always preferred two-tone paint on a motorcycle, but couldn't pass up the deal I got on my all Silver 2005 RSV and bought the bike understanding that I could always paint to suit later. When I discovered a new paint shop just a few miles North of my home, I had to go chat with the owner about painting my bike. I discovered the proprietor was the paint shop manager for Sewell Lexus in Dallas, and after I had previewed the photos on his paint shop web site, I knew I had found the right guy to do the job. Here are a few photos of the finished product.
  12. colmike
    I've got a set of RSTD handlebars and end weights that I tried on my RSV, but decided I preferred my RSV handlebars with Baron Risers. If you're interested, PM me.
  13. colmike

    It,s True

    colmike replied to 1rooster's topic in Watering Hole

    Every day's a holiday!!! Congrats! Live long and enjoy.
  14. colmike
    You will also need to make a pair of brackets that will allow the slip on mufflers designed for a Road King to fit the RSV. You should find the bracket plans here, http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=59279&d=1312039507. Hope that helps.
  15. colmike
    Beautiful motorcycle. Enjoy.
  16. colmike
    Here's a possible inexpensive and fairly easy fix that's at least worth checking. I changed out my 2005 RSV's clutch and brake levers to some safety chrome levers right after I bought it. When I performed that changeover and installed the new chrome clutch lever, I failed to ensure that the small brass plunger that activates the clutch was fully seated in its brass bushing located in the clutch lever. Since the clutch activation plunger was never able to fully disengage, it caused my clutch to slip when under heavy load. This slippage occurred in all gears when revs and load were increased. My RSV only had about 12,000 miles on it, so I guessed that it was probably caused by something I had done during the clutch lever installation. I took a closer look at my work, and at the mechanics of the lever/plunger assembly, and discovered my goof. Once disassembled, cleaned, lubed and reassembled, all was right with the world again. This is very simple to inspect, and could save you the expense of a new clutch if it happens to correct your slippage problem. It's worth a look see. The only tools you'll need are a wide blade screwdriver and a 10 mm socket to remove the lever. I've attached a few photos to give you a better idea of what should be checked. Note: This lever disassembly, cleaning, lubing and reassembly should probably be performed at least as often as does our throttle cable lubing. Just my opinion.
  17. colmike
    I use the risers and love them, but I'm 5' 10" vs. your 6' 4". Your additional reach would negate the positive effect I get from the risers bringing the grips into a more comfortable position for me. They are easy enough to remove, and if I were you that's what I would do.
  18. colmike
    I replaced my Avon Venoms with the new Michelin Commander IIs (my Venom rear tire was part of the lot that had cracking sidewalls) and I have loved the change. Don't know if the perceived improvement in handling was from the narrower front tire or from the tread design/tire compound. Note that Michelin does not make the Commander II in the 150/80-16 front tire size yet, so went with 130/90-16 front. I've put about 1,500 miles on them now, and have loved the way they have improved my feel for the bike. I know that many of the earlier posts I've read claimed that the narrower front had a tendency to wander, follow tar snakes, and generally degrade handling. This has NOT been my experience. In fact, I have looked for and intentionally driven over obstacles such as tar snakes and the Commander II has shown no tendency to wander or follow the snake. It was my experience that my wider Avon Venoms had a much greater tendency to want to follow these road irregularities. I have not had the opportunity to drive over surfaces such as bridge grating, but in all conditions I have confronted in my riding (including rain) the Commander II's have performed admirably. Final note, the Avon Venoms were a HUGE improvement over the Bridgestones that were the original equipment, but I have to say that I am very pleased with my change to the Michelin Commander II's.
  19. colmike
    I just put 120 miles on the new tires. They were fantastic! They stopped the transmission whine, my complexion cleared up, and all the planets fell back into alignment. On a serious note, I was duly impressed with the way they performed. I believe they are every bit as quiet as the Avons, and I had no stability problems with the narrower front. I purposely looked for road snakes and other road imperfections that would cause the tires to wander or follow the imperfections. The Michelin's seemed to be less prone to be affected by these imperfections than the Avons??? Note that I did not try them on a grooved highway or on a grated bridge, just wasn't on my route today. I did cross a number of railroad tracks, several with multiple tracks, with no problems. Finally, I got them up to about 90 mph and they seemed every bit as smooth as the Avons. So far, I'm pleased.
  20. colmike
    To each his own. I just thought I'd give it a try. Regarding Yamaha's decision to put the wider tire on the front, my guess is that they got a great deal from Bridgestone and Dunlop on that tire size. Kind of like the great deal they got from Clarion on cassette decks. That, or the marketeers just thought it looked "cool". Engineering decision..., maybe.
  21. colmike
    Well, after about 4,000 miles my Avon Venom rear tire had developed cracking and needed to be replaced. I phoned Avon and discussed the matter with them, and though they seemed very helpful (and not unaware of the problem) they advised that I would have to go through my retailer for a replacement. I tried to call SWMototires but got no answer, so had to email them about the problem. They responded quick enough and advised that there should be no problem getting a replacement. Then I started thinking that I might just want to try the new Michelin Commander II's I had been reading about, and use the Avon's as backup tires if the Michelin's don't prove to be all their Marketing Department says they are. I know, the Commander II is not available in a 150/90HB-16 front, but I had been wanting to give the narrower 130/90HB-16 a try anyway so this was not a problem for me. They do make a direct replacement for our 150/90HB-15 rear tires, so that's was a no-brainer. Once I got them mounted and balanced, I only had enough time to put about 15 miles on them. I did like what I felt, and will report back after I get a couple of longer trips made on them.
  22. colmike
    The Michelin Commander II is available in a 130/90 B16 73H Reinforced front. That size tire should work as well as the Avon Venom AM41 MT90HB-16 or the Dunlop Elite 3 Bias Touring Front Tire - Size MT90B-16 which several on this site have tried and liked. I've wanted to give the narrower front tire a try myself, so will be installing this Michelin Commander II tire combination on my RSV probably next week (as soon as it stops raining!). Just a thought, and a little something to keep the thread going.
  23. colmike
    Here's an inexpensive tool I just found at Walmart and used to add lubricant to my RSV's rear shock. It's called The MixMizer produced by FloTool and designed to assist with mixing the proper ratio of oil with gasoline for two cycle engines. At my local Walmart it was stocked in the automotive department near the oil funnels. I found it the perfect device for adding lubricant to the rear shock. As Rick Butler describes in his very informative thread about the OEM rear shock, "Understanding Your RSV Rear Shock", http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2220, I removed the Schrader valve and used the syringe and the included 4 inch extension tube to inject two ounces of lubricant. It worked perfectly for this task without spilling a drop of fluid. Here's what to look for,
  24. colmike
    Dave, It sounds like your stator is doing it's best in keeping up with your power demands, but that judicial power management is going to best meet your needs. Goose's comment regarding installing a switch, through a relay, to your passing lights will allow you to eliminate that load when necessary. Another modification you might consider is installing a carb heater cut-off switch. Goose did a nice techincal article on this mod that you can find on the site here, http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25572. I performed this same mod to my RSV, and used a simple toggle switch with a pilot light in it to show me when the carb heat circuit was getting power. If you or anyone else reading this thread is curious, AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) has published an easy to read/understand article about how carb icing is caused. That article is located here, http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/SB09.pdf. You will note that carb icing conditions are not due just to cold outside air temps as you might suspect, but a combination of factors such as temperature, humidty, dewpoint that may cause the moisture in the air to freeze causing icing and hampering carb efficiency. Understanding these conditions will allow you to better decide when you might want to toggle the carb heat on or off. Just a thought. Good luck.
  25. colmike
    I just installed Progressives on my 2005 RSV the weekend before last. Love the results. You might find this site helpfull, http://www.progressivesuspension.com/pdfs/forkSprings/3055.pdf. Good luck with your project.
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