saddlebum

Well I do admit there are times when I like to let my pony have its head but most times I keep her on a short rein or ride it as as you say like I borrowed it. I usually prefer taking the back roads instead of the highways and enjoying the scenery ( maybe I'm starting to get a tad long in the tooth ) . Its also my daily commute vehicle, to and from work, from the time the roads are clear of ice and snow, until the snow returns, which these days is about ten months out of the year. Commuting to work involves riding in a lot of stop and go traffic which is were I really appreciate the clutches ability to slip clutch when needed or want it, since I hate constantly coming to a full stop and putting my feet down all the time, ( and I am not a bike walker ) yet it will take a firm hold as well when needed. Like I said I do not have your expertise which I have the utmost respect for, I can only give MHO based on what I have experienced with my own bike. BTW what do you mean unusually kind? I thought I was always kind

Its extremely rare that I disagree with you Earl and I still don't claim to know better. I just know that I have run the Barnett carbon fiber clutch for about 70,000 KM now give or take and I have not noticed any of the issues you pointed out. Always smooth yet solid engagement. No slippage or increased engine heat and slip clutching to be able to move at an almost dead stopped crawl is a dream with no bad side effects. For myself I cannot say anything bad about this clutch and would have no issue installing another one should this one ever wear out which so far it is showing no inclination of doing anytime soon.

Yes he will certainly be missed.

Was the bike in gear with the kickstand down or did you simply shut the bike off by putting the kickstand down while in gear and leave the key in the bike in the on position ( this one cost me few beers when I had to go back into the bar to get some able bodied chaps to push start me ) Check battery voltage and then watch how much voltage drops when you try to start the bike. If it does not drop at all you have a wiring or switch issue maybe even a bad starter with an open internal circuit, . If it drops of severely you likely have a battery issue or possibly a starter with seized bearings or internal short. If the relay does not make a click sound you may possibly have a bad starter relay starter relay or fault in the primary starter circuit. try jumping across the two big posts on the the starter relay. Here is a brief guideline I devised and give my apprentices to do quick check of the starting system before tearing things apart. Starter and electrical issue diagnosing.pdf

This is quite common. Often pads which withstand higher operating temperature quiet often need to heat up to a certain temperature before they become fully effective. This is why you will often see stock car drivers ride their brakes before a race in order to warm them up so they have maximum brake effectiveness during the race also another reason why just because something is used on the track does not mean it is good for everyday driving. I have also known brake pads that have amazing stopping power but loose 50-70% of it when the rotors are wet and cold. When asked I generally tell people unless their vehicle is constantly heavily loaded, pulling a trailer or running hills constantly not to buy the high end pads but stick to something closer to the middle range and for that Sunday driver or the person who only gets out once or twice a week to do a bit of shopping the cheap organic pads are probably their best choice since at slow speeds softer pads stop better and there is little or no metal in the pads to rust from sitting and metallic pads do corrode even crumble and fall apart from lack of use due to a vehicle spending more time parked than driven. Believe me its no fun trying to convince a person that the brakes on their car are scrap even though they barely have any millage on them.

All of the above are true. I have switched to I switched to the Bosch ES16 brake fluid and have noticed quite the difference. Even clutch and brake response has improved. It has a higher boiling point both wet and dry. Wet boiling point is the temperature boiling begins to occur when brake fluid icontains a certian amount of moisture. Dry boiling point is when there is no moisture present in the brake fluid. See attached link https://www.boschautoparts.ca/documents/101512/0/0/7c8c2217-78dd-0adc-c840-91edb62866a3 Also organic brake pads can be an issue as well because they have a greater tendency to glaze over at lower operating temperatures then other higher end friction materials. Glazing is what causes brake failure and once pads are glazed over they loose much of their friction ability and so stopping ability becomes compromised. Organic pads are easier on rotors and are very good for in town driving because initially they grab better than other materials. But in hard braking situations like riding hills or pulling a trailer they begin to glaze over and loose their braking effectiveness.

I get that and it was as a preventative that she tried them but still got poison ivy.

They do look nice.

I also discovered by accident that a GEN 1/MK1 seat put on a GEN1/MK2 also lowers you about 1-1/2'' and its just a straight drop on. No modifications needed. Only thing is the passenger part of the seat is smaller than the MK2 I used the space to slip in a Harley handle bar pouch.

Glad most of your trip was enjoyable.

Raggy does have a point. With those knees of yours, your not likely to out run your hunting partner if the bear gains the upper hand and attacks

The connectors at the ignition module are not weather sealed and if there is any green fretting in those connectors any moisture getting in and mixing with that green fretting material will wreak havoc with you ignition as it creates a path for electrical crossover. You also have a strong argument for water in the fuel as you stated it is not uncommon for fuel stations to get water in their holding tanks after a heavy rain and your timing certainly suggests strong possibility of getting bad fuel. Back fire can also be the result of unburnt fuel from a misfiring cylinder being ignited in the exhaust system by the hot exhaust stream of a firing cylinder.

My wife tried those a few years ago after getting poison ivy over half her body and so bad that she had to get shots and cortisone cream. They did not work at all for her.

I used the Barnett carbon fiber clutch kit with pressure plate about 6 years ago and its still working great. Carbon fiber is recommended if you do a lot of slip clutching like crawling through a parking lot at less than walking speed and great for trailer pulling without clutch slipping.