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lshafer

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Everything posted by lshafer

  1. lshafer
    The only time I don't wear mine is when I run to the gas station which is about 2 blocks away down residential roadway. Otherwise, it's on all the time.
  2. lshafer
    99% of the time. Only when I go a couple of blocks in my town of 800 with the speed limit less than 30mph do I not wear it. That doesn't happen much though. I'll walk a block before I'll get the bike out to drive there.
  3. lshafer
    I sure hope you do cheer them on. I've been involved with the volunteer fire service for over 15 years and am currently the Chief. I can tell you from experience that it means a lot to the firefighters to get some gratitude from their board members and the members of the communities they serve for what they do. Most people forget about us until we're needed. We can only hope they remember us when we're not. Take good care of them. They deserve it. It takes a special person to go out of his or her way and put their health/life on the line to help others. Good luck.
  4. lshafer
    SilvrT - Yes, I tried the 'no more squeeky' lube and there is no longer an annoying, ear-piercing squeel from the front brake when I stop. I'm glad it worked but I would imagine it will where off eventually. No worries though - I have plenty left!! V7Goose - Now that I've learned via all the excellent information on this forum that I've been riding my bike like a v-twin and not getting the power out of it I should be by letting the RPMs get up a little, I don't believe I need any performance modifications at all. The bike gets moving better than I ever knew it could. I wish I would have known about this forum 3 years ago when I purchased the bike. Thanks to everyone for the insight. I'm sure you'll see me around on the site. I'm addicted to it now and my wife thinks I'm a teenager again.
  5. lshafer
    I put the E3's on yesterday. They're great. A big difference from the Bridgestones.
  6. lshafer
    I had my Elite 3's installed today. Let me tell you - everything I read about getting rid of the Bridgestones was right on. Talk about a change... No more road noise, the handling is better and it seems like the ride has improved significantly. I couldn't be happier with them so far. I wasn't able to find anyone who spoke negatively about them so hopefully I'll feel the same way in about 10,000 miles. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback.
  7. lshafer
    It's a long, boring stretch of road. I've traveled I90 many times and there isn't much to see until you get to Wall, SD and beyond. I wish I had something better to say...
  8. lshafer
    What would you say a good break in would be? 100 miles, 200 miles? Obviously, I'll be quite cautious until I feel really confortable with them. I already told my wife she couldn't come along with me tomorrow just in case something were to happen on the new tires. I'd appreciate the feedback.
  9. lshafer
    I agree 100%. The higher the price goes the more I'll ride. It's hard to get 40mpg out of the Silverado - even if I coast down hills with a tail wind!!
  10. lshafer
    It would take a terribly high gas price for me to slow down. When I think about what it costs me to have the bike (purchase price, insurance, accessories, etc) paying a 2 or 3 dollars more than "normal" really isn't going to matter much. I guess if it was costing me 10+ per gallon I might change my mind but until that time comes, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than filling up my Silverado. CHA-CHING.
  11. lshafer
    I tested a Droid for the company I work for. I had it only 3 weeks and gave it back. I didn't like it at all. I kept loosing my email sync and had to keep reconfiguring it. The little extras it has are OK but in general it's not as solid (to me) as an iPhone, Blackberry or even a regular cell phone. Supposedly, there was an upgrade to the OS which fixed quite a few glitches with it but I'm not about to invest the time, effort and money to try it again. Just my thoughts.
  12. lshafer
    I'm getting the E3's installed tomorrow and will post back with my thoughts - at least when compaired to the Bridgestones. I'm sure I'll put some miles on tomorrow. It's gonna be in the upper 50's in Wisconsin!!!! Havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave...
  13. lshafer
    After doing even more looking around at other posts regarding the pros and cons of Venom and E3, I really can't find anyone whos had bad luck with E3's. I've read a lot of posts about side wall cracking on the Venoms but other than that those that didn't have that type of problem seemed really happy with them. So, it boils down to this - I can find nothing negative about E3 but I can about Venoms. Therefore, I guess I'll go with the Dunlop Elite 3 and be happy. They don't have the load rating that the Venoms do but they're certainly better than the Bridgestones I have now. So, unless someone has information that will completely change my mind (AGAIN) I'll be getting them ordered in the next 24 hours.
  14. lshafer
    According to my owners manual the max load rating for the bike is 444 (I could be off a couple of pounds). I know for sure the max load is less than my wife and I weigh together. That being said, is it safe to ride two-up with us being the riders? What should I do, buy a different bike? It makes me a little nervous when we're both riding?
  15. lshafer
    Howdy. I'll be replacing my stock Bridgestone tires in the next month and am in the middle of doing a little research. I've read a whole bunch on here about different tire brands and what people like and dislike and I believe I've decided to move forward and purchase the Avon Venoms for my 06 RSTD. My questions is about the tire rating. There are a lot of posts that talk about tire rating but I haven't found any that actually answer my specific questions. Hopefully someone can. Here goes: If I have a front tire rated 71 (520 lbs) and a rear tire rated 80 (992 lbs), does that mean the total capacity for the bike is 1512 lbs? Put another way, if the above is true with regards to ratings and the bike weighs in at 844 lbs, does that mean I can have roughly 650 more pounds of me, the wife, cargo, accessories, etc? The reason I'm asking this question is that I've always wondered how much I'm stressing the tires when both my wife and I are riding. I'm not a small guy (I go about 325) and with my wife (I'm not dumb and won't give out her weight) we weigh in right around 475 lbs (you do the math ). That's quite a bit and when you add in clothes, helmets, jackets and so on, we may get close to that 500 lb mark. I just want to make sure I'm riding safe and I noticed the Avon Venoms have a high rating. What will that mean for me? I appreciate everyones thoughts.
  16. lshafer
    I've read quite a few posts that said to just try some anti-squeal type lube. I'll pick some up and give it a try tomorrow. Hopefully I can get this fixed prior to annoying another fellow biker with the noise or even other 4 wheeled drivers at stop lights. Thanks for the thought.
  17. lshafer
    Funny. I've never heard that before!!!
  18. lshafer
    Well, I wasn't sure. It's not everyday you see a jet black fire truck with orange trim.
  19. lshafer
    My department has a Pierce. It was purchased in 2000. We love it. Maybe you remember it - it was black with orange trim to match our schools colors (just taking a little pride in our community). Anyway, I'd like to work some sort of firefighter theme into mine (it's black like our fire trucks). If anyone has any ideas for a firefighter themed black RSTD, I'm all ears
  20. lshafer
    Good afternoon. Well, I pulled my bike out for the first time this year (Wisconsin is difficult to predict) and had a little trouble. The ground was a little softer than I had anticipated and I ended up getting it stuck (the shed I store it in over the winter is behind my garage). With the help of a couple of buddies I was able to get it out to the road. After a good bath to get the earth off it, I hit the road and put everyones thoughts to the test... and let me tell you... MY GOD. Of course I didn't get carried away until it was sufficiently inspected for issues from it's winter storage and I made sure I ran it a while before letting those horsies run - but when I did I think the wind blew a lasting smile on my face. I got 'er up to about 70-75 in third, got nervous that I'd never slow down, and kicked it into 4th. She still had plenty of throttle to burn and seemed happy to get moving. It shifted better than I've ever had it shift when accellorating to those higher revs. Now that I see what the bike can do if I just stop worrying, I certainly don't plan to do any performance mods to it. It performs every bit as good as my fater-in-laws Goldwing. I tried speed shifting once and was able to go from 3rd to 4th. I'm not sure if I like that yet. I'm sure I'll experiment a couple more times but I really don't know which way to go with it. There's a lot of opinions on it and it seems 50/50 as to which way to go. In my earlier post I mentioned having about 8000 miles on. That was a typo (fingers work faster then my brain). I actually have 6100ish on the bike. I'm running the stock Bridgestone tires (didn't look at the model number) and it seems like there's quite a bit of tread left. I'm guessing I'll be OK until I get a couple thousand more on. Thoughts? I do have one more question - after riding it again I had a loud reminder that I meant to ask this question originally. I have a hell of a squeek in my front break. It's ear piercing - especially if I'm riding with someone and pull up next to them. I always get a dirty look. Does anyone have any thoughts on what that is any what I can do to fix it. I'd hate to have to put new pads on or something. Feedback would be great. Other than that, I'm glad it's out and can't wait to ride again. PS - this site is awesome. I appreciate all the ideas.
  21. lshafer
    15 years with a volunteer fire department in Wisconsin - 6 as the Fire Chief. We get to do everything from structure fires, grass fires, vehicle extrication, etc. I wouldn't trade my time as a firefighter for anything. It's where I met most of my friends and most importantly, where I met my wife. If there is anyone out there who has ever wondered about becomming a VFF I would very strongly suggest stopping by your local fire station and inquiring. Is there anyone out there who has customized their RSTD in honor of the fire service? I'd love to see pics. Stay safe...
  22. lshafer
    Thanks for the replies already guys. Regarding the RPM's - I've been interested in getting a tach for some time but can never find the one that I'm looking for. I think it's mostly due to not knowing where to mount some of the ones out there. Does anyone have any idea about what type to get and where to mount it. I rarely get to see pics of any RSTD's that have a tach on them and am really curious about where people have put them and what they put on. I'd have to take a look at the tires on my bike to see what they are. To tell you the truth, I've never bothered to look at what brand they are. What is the best tire for the money in your opinion?
  23. lshafer
    Good afternoon all. I'm new to the site but have been riding for about 8 years. So, I'll start off with a little background... I originally purchased a new 2003 V-Star 1100 and rode my heart out until the kids came along. I realized that I couldn't afford/find time to ride and have kids and since selling the kids is frowned upon, I decided to part with my bike. A couple of years passed and for my 30th B-day my wife said we could get another one. Since my job had changed - money was no longer the issue with not having one - I purchased a new 2006 RSTD Midnight in August of 2008. Now I spend my time trying to find time to ride. I ride it most of the time to work in the summer and normally can break away for a couple of days each month to ride with buddies. In order for my wife and I both to ride we need to take a day off of work when the kids are in daycare. All-in-all, everything has worked out just fine. I've read some interesting things on this site and am glad there's a place to ask other experienced riders questions without having to depend on a 20 year old bike repair kid fresh out of college. All that being said, on to my questions: 1. I've turned about 8000 miles on my '06 RSTD and I've always wondered what the normal milage range is for replacement of tires? It still have the factory tires on it and I figure when you're relying on just two wheels you better make sure they're tip-top. What's the average for fronts and backs? 2. Performance - My bike is all stock at this point. What are your thoughts on K&N filters vs. a DynaTek 3000 or both? I'd like to do something to improve the performance a little without going nuts with cost. What are some simple enhancements that would be the best bang for my performance buck. 3. Speed shifting - is it really a bad thing for my scoot or if done properly does it even make a difference? I've never done it, as I've always been a clutch guy, but I was thinking about giving it a shot. Should I discontinue that type of thinking? 4. Get up and go - I'm the guy that likes to ride 55 - 60 mph but want to get there right now. Are there any thoughts on what I can do to get more 'right now' out of my bike? Maybe a combination of air filters, DynaTek and speed shifting? 5. I'm gonna blow the motor... at least that's how I feel when I try to kick it down and get my butt moving. I've read some stuff about the rev limiter and that I really can't do any damage but nonetheless, I get scared. Is it everyone's opinion that I can pretty much give 'er and be OK? What are some normal shift points for moderate to heavy acceleration? There it is... my first post. Hopefully I'm not boring anyone. I certainly look forward to your responses. Thanks in advance to everyone.
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