RedRider

Hagon shock on order. In stock and shipping today. RR

Just as an aside, I suggest you do a relay bypass of the ignition to lessen the stress on the ignition switch. There are some off-road amber LED lamps available. http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-QualiRegResou/StoreFront.bok You may need to email them as the amber is new and may not be on the website (didn't take the time to dig into the site). However, I haven't seen amber LEDs available in the PAR36 size for the Yamaha light bar. RR

Thanks guys. I will need to see if it is in stock so I can get it put on while still on the lift. Didn't need this in the budget this month. RR

Yup, looks like after 111,000 trouble free miles, the rear shock on RedRider has bit the dust. Had a flat rear tire and I was checking if I could see the hole. While inspecting I noticed some fluid on the ground in front of the rear tire. Reddish color. Only one thing that can be. Looked up at the base of the shock and there was a drip of fluid there. It's gone. Lived a good life. OK, now. Works or Hagon? RR PS. Found the hole. Small pin hole almost in the center. Tomorrow night I will plug it. Should last me until I swap it out right before Butt Lite 7.

Mechanics pics. Use the one with the right angle tip to run around the inside of the boot. Then pry out with a screwdriver. Use the right angle pic when putting them back on also. You have to make sure they don't fold down when putting the carbs back on. Good luck. RR

Hmmmm. Interesting thought. That only leaves a question of "Would I have enough money to buy more motorcycles after subtracting alimony?" RR

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sunday paper always has a 25% off coupon in the HF flier. Used it Friday to get a small jack and again today (used new coupon from Sunday) to get a metric micrometer. Rider magazine has a 20% off coupon. RR

Think I am going to ask for one for Christmas. Problem I have is where I want to put it is where my son has his drum set. Sure don't want him moving that noise maker into the house. RR

Might be a lot of usage for a relatively cheap tire changer. Might want to look at a No-Mar changer since the difference in cost wouldn't be that significant spread among 11 folks. It's a little heavier duty. Just my $0.02. RR

After an absence of a couple of years, the motorcycle tire adapter is back at Harbor Freight. About $85 combined. Changer: http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-tire-changer-69686.html MC Tire Adapter: http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle.html?CatPath=All%2BProducts%252F%252F%252F%252FAutomotive%2B%2526%2BMotorcycle%2F%2F%2F%2FTire+%26+Wheel&RequestData=CA_CategoryExpand&p=2 RR

If he rides year round, I suspect he has heated gear. The available amperage gets eaten up pretty quickly with heated gear and the savings from the carb heaters is significant. I suggest installing a volt meter so you can monitor the battery/charging system. RR

Would you be interested in selling your CB antenna? Mine is not cooperating. RR

To get the light bar off, you need a 6mm ball end allen wrench. +1 on placing a towel over the front fender when you do this. RR

Just shoot him a PM. I think he is vacationing this week so it may be a couple of days before he gets back to you. RR

There are two connections that need be made. Speaker out (of the Zumo) and Mic in (to the Zumo). There is no connection on the dash for the microphone (from the bike). It only comes from under the faring. The Buddy Rich cable connects the Zumo speaker and mic connections to the appropriate plugs inside the faring. If you can take the outer faring off, you can install the BR cable. It's pretty easy. IIRC, it comes with instructions. Makes for a nice clean install. Holds up in the rain also. RR

OK, the problem you are having is that your microphone does not have a connection to the 660. The cord from the 660 to the cassette jack is input (to the headset - output from the 660) only. The J&M headset is a solid wired set. The only BlueTooth (BT) being done here is between the 660 and the phone. Everything else is hardwired. You have two solutions. 1) Use a BuddyRich cable. (highly recommended) 2) Change your headset to a BT headset like the Scala Rider. There are a few out there. The downside of doing option #2 is that the standard functions of the Venture radio will not be available to you. Therefore, no CB, no intercom (unless passenger also has a BT headset), no radio. Option 1 works. RR

Your pipes aren't loud enough and you have jeans on under your chaps. You don't qualify to participate. RR

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4650935385196439&w=313&h=120&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7 RR

John Ryan was killed in an accident yesterday. Who is John Ryan? He is the greatest Long Distance rider ever. He was an extremist in a subgroup of extremists. John lived his life on a motorcycle. An engineer by education, he lived to ride. And ride he did. John held the record for Prudhoe Bay to Key West at 86 hours, 31 minutes. That is 5645 miles in 3 and a half days. He shaved 9.5 hours off the previous record. This record was broken earlier this year. John helped the new record holder with planning his run. He was that kind of a guy. The book 'The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing' by Melissa Holbrook Pierson was written about him. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and do so. Godspeed Mr. Ryan.

Just read that Russell Day Long is offering 15% discount on saddles THIS WEEK ONLY!! Per Kim at RDL, this discount is good if you get your order in by close of business Friday. If you are thinking about it, quit thinking and call. http://www.day-long.com RR

As much as I hate to admit it, but when I took my forks to the dealer to have them rebuilt (with Progressives), I also took the wheels to have the bearings changed. I know I could have done it, just didn't have the tools or the time. Got to keep the dealers in business somehow. I'm sure not doing it by buying new bikes. RR

Don, Congratulations. Welcome to the IBA. Now you might want to keep an eye open for a regional LD rally. They're a lot of fun. And no one will make fun of your Harley (might be the only one there). Well done and well earned. RR

My registration has been accepted for the running of ButtLite 7 next summer. WooHoo!!! 6 day, 6000+ miles around the US while doing a giant scavenger hunt. It has been proclaimed a Canada-free ride though. Top 10 finishers get a no draw entry into the 2015 Iron Butt Rally. Need to start getting in shape. http://www.teamstrange.com/2014/butt_lite/index.htm RR

Goose, as usual, brings the required tech notes. Well done. One slight addition - While putting the high torque on the steering head bearings to seat them, rotate the head back and forth. The rotation of the tapered rollers allows them to straighten up on the races and seat against the rear rib. After the final setting, rotate a few times and re-test. RR

I took mine to a shop to have the springs changed out. I believe stock is 5W fork oil. However, as I am a little heavier than the bike design target, I used 15W in the front forks. If I recall correctly, the spacers come with the springs. Replace all seals and slide bearings in the forks also. RR