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ThomWill

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Everything posted by ThomWill

  1. ThomWill

    Scam?

    ThomWill replied to Mel's topic in Watering Hole

    Yep, SCAM!
  2. ThomWill
    Congratulations!
  3. ThomWill
    When I first saw all the wood jokes, I was tempted to split but did not want to get burned. But I fell in with the rest of the variations on the theme.
  4. ThomWill
    Awesome! My youngest (now 17) LOVES to ride and has me take her all kinds of place. My eldest will not even sit on a bike, go figure.
  5. ThomWill
    Going against the "grain" eh?
  6. ThomWill
    Had a set of Dunlop E3's installed this afternoon...(selected largely on the reviews of the fine folks of this here site) initial impressions are that they are much better than the original Bridgestones it had on it. Have not really got them scuffed in, or ridden enough to talk handling but the front is SO much quieter than the Bridgestone was! That was the noisiest tire I have ever had on a bike.
  7. ThomWill

    On the Road

    ThomWill replied to ScottW's topic in Watering Hole

    Blue Ridge Parkway (just awesome) Biltmore estates (Ashville, NC) Lots of cool touristy stuff around Knoxville / Seveirville / Pigeon forge if you go up that way (also the Dragona and the Cherohala skyway are up that direction) Cherokee casino if that sort of thing interests you. If you go up the coast there are lots of places to see including Kitty Hawk. Lots of stuff here around Atlanta, but you probably knew that one
  8. ThomWill
    I have a small "Manta" style bag and a larger on from "Cargo Basics" (got it at Cycle Gear) that I use on longer trips. The big one will hold a LOT of stuff.
  9. ThomWill
  10. ThomWill
    Wow a lot of good information here: Now will be changing out all the fluids (not just topping them off), making a dealer list for the route, checking the age on the battery, getting some spare bulbs... etc. Just got new rain suits but will pick up some boot covers too. I will make sure my tire guy lubes the splines, I plan to have the tires put on about 3 weeks in advance of the trip to make sure I have time to adjust from the brickstones and get the E3's scuffed in. We have been training into the trip as well, I have been doing lots of weights, cardio and esp. core training and have lost over 20 pounds since January. We have also been making practice runs of 300+ miles two days in a row. Have been planning this trip for a LONG time and it is getting very exciting as it nears an actual start. Thanks to everyone!
  11. ThomWill
    Thanks Y'all, good suggestions so far.
  12. ThomWill
    Will be heading out for a 6K+ mile cross country trip at the end of may on the 2005 RSTD (10K miles on her now). I will have new tires on her and an oil change, coolant check before we go. Any thing else I should make sure gets done? Final drive oil? Anything special I need to make room for on the trip? Thanks,
  13. ThomWill
    Let's call it a "mostly full" restoration. Running first (before the really expensive stuff) then tear down for powder coat and paint. Lots of polishing too.
  14. ThomWill
    Picked up this 77 Honda CB550 to rehab with my 17 year old daughter. We have been talking about it for years, but I realized I only have a year and a half left. Hoping to take it back as close to original as we can get it. http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/ThomWill/The%20Honda%20Rebuild/100_0489.jpg
  15. ThomWill
    Congratulations! Hope you enjoy it.
  16. ThomWill
    I have a 2007 Triumph America as well as the RTSD, a parallel twin and a V4... that should about do it.
  17. ThomWill
    I have grown daughters my own self and I cannot even begin to fathom what you and yours must be going through. I will keep a good thought for you and for a positive outcome.
  18. ThomWill
    I recently installed the Starcom1 Advance... a little less feature rich than BobbyDuck's but the more I tweak it into submission the better I like it. Handles an MP3 input, radio comm, passenger-rider and a dedicated Nav audio input.
  19. ThomWill
    So it came and we have been using it for a couple of days now... The kit came nicely packaged with each set of parts separated with their own instructions, zip ties, etc. I started with the helmet installation which seemed like the logical thing to do only to discover that I probably should have installed the unit first because one needs the unit installed to test the speaker location in the helmets. I had to install one full face kit with the bud microphone and a 3/4 helmet kit (my wife is claustrophobic) with the boom mic. Helmet installation time about 5 minutes, not too bad at all. Installing the Advance unit under the seat was easy enough, found a place for it right behind the battery on the left side of the bike. It is about credit card size (long/ wide) and maybe as thick as a deck of cards. attached with 3 of the 4 supplied velcro circles, although I am not sure it even needed that. There is not a lot of exposed wiring down there to vampire tap, so I just crimped on some round connectors and attached straight to the battery terminals (the kit comes with an inline fuse); this works because the system is only "live" when the rider headset is plugged in. I ran the headset connection leads out from behind the frame, but in front of the plastic "bulkhead". The controls and connections are all clearly marked and easy to operate. The mp3 plug-in works, but I have yet to try it out on the road to make sure the VOX (which mutes the music input when you speak). So the operational review: It works... my wife and I are able to converse whilst riding which turns out to be very nice. The clarity is nothing short of amazing, I frequently am taken aback by the fact that we are on the intercom, I guess I was expecting more static / feedback or something... very, very, clear. BUT the volume is troubling me a bit I have the mic gain for both mics maxed out and the volume control too (although I am still tweaking the balance (which is really a front to back fader), the marketing literature claims that this system is designed to work for folks who wear earplugs. I have some of hearing loss in some ranges from my Air Force years and so to protect what I have left I where some serious earplugs when I ride. My wife wears them too and has no problem hearing me (it might be the deeper nature of my voice). I have found that with my "Ear Planes" that have a lower dB reduction rating I can carry on a conversation except for those first few seconds off the line when the mighty V4 roar overtakes it. I keep tweaking the balance to take some amplitude from her and give it to me and will continue to do so. I am also playing with the speaker position in my helmet to try and maximize the volume in my helmet. The mics have to be VERY close to ones mouth, but that does not bother me at all. So, initial conclusions is that it is better than I expected (clarity) but not as good as I had expected (volume). There are still some adjustments to be made and I think that I will be able to reach a happy medium between protecting my hearing and being able to hear that "pillion driver" remind me about the school zone. More later once we have tweaked some more and tried it on a long trip.
  20. ThomWill
    So after reading what seems like HUNDREDS of reviews of both wired and wireless comm systems, and trying several out at dealers and bike shows, I have ordered a Starcom1 Advanced unit with two headset kits from ShangoRider.com. Supposed to be here later this week, so I will put it on the RTSD next week (and take some photos) and report back once I have it all hooked up. This way, the wife and I can finally make fun of people in traffic without having to yell so loud that they might hear us.
  21. ThomWill
    I know it is the wrong bike for this site, but you are so right, the wether was very nice... http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/ThomWill/100_0345.jpg
  22. ThomWill
    16 days, averaging 350-375 a day. Two vacation weeks + 3 weekends at the end of May / Beginning of June Already working on being in better shape for it. My lovely wife is starting to get into the whole thing
  23. ThomWill
    Good luck!
  24. ThomWill
    http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/ThomWill/RoutePlanning.png :cool10:
  25. ThomWill
    Glad to hear you are making good progress.
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