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RedRider

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  1. RedRider
    Thank you for the information on the Richardson. Good thing we will be on rentals. We will be checking the weather daily and adjusting our routing accordingly. RR
  2. RedRider
    My Dad, younger brother, and I are heading off for Alaska tomorrow morning. We are renting KLR650's in Anchorage and riding for 12 days throughout this great big state. Day 1 - Anchorage to Denali Nat'l Park Day 2 - Tour Denali Day 3 - Ride to Fairbanks - Visit Gold Dredge #8 Day 4 - Ride to Arctic Circle, take picture and spread some ashes, return to Fairbanks Day 5 - Ride west to Manley Hot Springs, soak for a while, return to Fairbanks Day 6 - Ride to Tok Day 7 - Ride to Eagle, then cross into Canada to Dawson on Top of the World Highway Day 8 - Ride back to Tok Day 9 - Ride to Valdez Day 10 - Take Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) to Wittier. Ride to Seward Day 11 - Ride to Homer Day 12 - Ride to Anchorage Day 13 - Fly home and resume my regularly scheduled life. About 2600 miles. 140 miles on gravel to/from the Arctic Circle. About 150 miles of gravel to Manley Hot Springs. Balance should be paved (unless we take some detours). We were originally intending to ride up there, but we only have two weeks. The ride would take about 6 days each way (with my Dad along - he can't/won't do the huge miles to get up there in 3 or 4 days). This would only leave about 4 or 5 days to ride in Alaska. Just didn't make sense. Need at a minimum 3 weeks to ride up/back. Will have a ride report when I get back. See ya' all in a couple of weeks. RR
  3. RedRider
    Are you interested in trading/selling some of your excess components? Specifically, the rear wheel? RR
  4. RedRider
    http://www.ikea.com RR
  5. RedRider
    What direction are you heading out of town? If you are going thru Chicago, stop at the IKEA in Glendale Heights (I think Glendale Heights - google IKEA for the address). It is near O'Hare. IKEA sells sheep skins for $30. They are in a big box and you can pick thru them to find the size and shape you want. They are generally large enough to cover both seats. Take a Leatherman or a sharp knife with you to trim as needed. You may want to also take a length of light cord to create tie downs (just poke holes in the sheepskin leather side and tie it thru). If you have a back rest, just put a slit in the skin and run it over the backrest post. Make sure to take the tool to remove the backrest from the post. I picked up a new one at the IKEA in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago, trimmed, and installed in the parking lot. Took about 5 minutes. Rode for about 1500 miles and it was great. RR
  6. RedRider
    This has been a good year in the bike turnover department. Think I may have found one to hang onto for a while. If you may recall, I recently picked up a 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T barn find. Well, the word got out and I sold it for $300 more than I paid without even putting a battery in it. So, now there is a hole on the garage floor that needs filled. It was filled Sunday with a 1986 BMW K75C with just over 20,000 miles on it. Was working with the previous owner for 3 or 4 weeks to get the pricing to where it needed to be. He finally gave in on Saturday and I picked it up on Sunday. Got plates and insurance today and went for a 25 mile run to the grocery store (that's 2 miles away). Need a different seat, but other than that, it is a really smooth little bike. Think I found an almost new Corbin just a few miles away. Need to do some investigation to see if it will fit. For those not initiated to the BMW world, the engine in this bike is affectionately known as the flying brick. It is considered to be one of the most reliable, long lasting engines ever put in a motorcycle. And smoooooooth. It needs a new front shoe (age cracking), but otherwise ready to ride, ride, ride. It will likely be one of the boy's bike since it is a tad small for me. The 3 cylinders act like a V4 - it likes the revs. The power band hits about 4000 RPM and just moves out. Decent front disc brake and an anemic drum rear brake. Great bike. RR
  7. RedRider
    Good to hear. RR
  8. RedRider
    Mostly core exercises and general fitness. Need strong back and stomach muscles and be in generally good shape. Stretching exercises help also. Diet is part of it since you will not be eating a lot while making these kind of miles. Try to keep your weight down since this puts less pressure on your butt. The ergonomics of your bike make a big difference also. Custom seat and handlebar position that is perfect for you. Places to move your feet/legs around. Good wind protection to reduce the wind buffeting on your helmet (less neck strain). RR
  9. RedRider
    Don't believe this was done on a Venture (pretty sure it wasn't). Still, pretty impressive. RR
  10. RedRider
    +1 on lack of stimulants. While some folks trying to make their first SS1000 may use stimulants, any of the serious LD riders will actually wean themselves off coffee a couple of months prior to a serious LD ride. Stimulants are frowned upon and strongly discouraged by the LD folks. If you can't do the ride, stop and sleep. We recognize it isn't THAT important to get another certificate or piece of trophy wood. OK, back to the regularly scheduled program. RR
  11. RedRider
    Nice install, just like the one I run on my Venture. It is really nice and easy to plumb into these bikes. Are you using a barf tank for your overflow or just running it on the ground (I run mine on the ground)? How did you tie in the electrical ground? Here are some pics of my setup. The pic near the petcock shows where the line plumbs in. It is capped in the picture. It works great. RR
  12. RedRider
    If you were in the US, I would send you one from mine. I have my rear wheel off to get the bearing changed and won't be replacing it until after I get back from Alaska in 2 weeks. If you think it can get there in time, shoot me a PM and I will mail it out Monday. If not, good luck. I suspect you would be better off buying a new one to get it in time. RR
  13. RedRider
    I often do that too. Bought 12 spot muffin tins to keep nuts and bolts in with each opening labelled. The tins are teflon coated. Write what's in each hole with a sharpie. When done, a quick shot of brake cleaner and it all wipes clean. Just don't try to bake muffins with it afterwards. I've taken off the rear wheel so often I wasn't as careful as usual. In the end, I had it on right. Was just questioning it since the bearing went out. This was caused by something else (still investigating, but it wasn't this spacer). Just trying to cover all the bases. RR
  14. RedRider
    Thought so. Thanks. RR
  15. RedRider
    Mid-70s Pioneer SX-950 in my shop. Traded an old (but good) turntable for it. When I got married, found my wife had one too. We certainly didn't need two turntables gathering dust. It completely rocks. Smoked a set of Bose qube speakers with it (Ted Nugent - Stranglehold IIRC). Now I behave. RR
  16. RedRider
    Which way does this spacer go on the rear wheel? This spacer goes against the rear wheel bearing and is the seal surface the seal rides against. There is a raised shoulder on one side while the other is flat. Pictures of both are attached. I am assuming the raised part goes against the bearing since it is the same diameter are the inner race. And yes, those are the balls from the rear wheel bearing. Not good. RR
  17. RedRider
    Forgot about putting the cups in the freezer. That helps too. RR
  18. RedRider
    The only time you will buy another seat after owning an RDL is if you get another bike. Best money spent on the Venture (outside of the Carbon1 lift adapter with legs). RR
  19. RedRider
    I use one. It helps when you are spending time in traffic where the cruise control wouldn't. Also, if you are traveling out west, the cruise will set at a maximum of 80 MPH (GPS speed). Sometimes, you want to go a little faster for long periods of time. RR
  20. RedRider
    Pick, Changing the neck bearings is a real PITA. However, it can be done. I did it last winter. Once you completely remove the front fairing, and remove the front forks, and then take off the steering stem, you have access to the bearings. The top cup (outer ring) is fairly easy to remove by using a puller or a long drift. The bottom one is a real doozy. There are reliefs in the backing shoulder that should allow you to use a long drift to punch it out. Good luck with that. The Dremel is the tool of choice with the lower cup. Just grind out a section and remove it. Make sure to smooth out any burrs left on the shoulder that will prevent the replacement brg cup from fully seating. Keep the old cutup bearing cup as a driver. When reinstalling the new cups, get a long threaded rod, a couple of appropriately sized nuts, and a selection of washers large enough to cover the cup OD. Place the rod thru the steering neck with a washer/nut combo on the top cup front face and then place an appropriately sized washer and nut on the bottom - using the old cup as a driver. You will likely need a stackup of washers to prevent the large washer from bending. Tighten the nuts until you are sure the cups are seated. Check with a sharp dental/mechanical pick to make sure they are completely seated against the mounting shoulders. DO NOT USE THE BEARING CONE (inner race with rollers) TO PRESS IN THE CUPS - THIS WILL DAMAGE THE RACES. When you reassemble and go to set the bearing preload, make sure to rotate the steering neck back and forth while tightening. This straightens the tapered rollers on the races so you will get a true reading. If you don't do this, you will end up with loose bearings. When you are done setting the bearing preload (it is initially set with a higher torque, then backed off, then retightened to a lower torque for the final set), move the neck back and forth some more and recheck the tightening torque on the nut. And yes, I used to be an Application Engineer at Timken Bearing. While you have the front end off, it is a good time for upgrading the front springs to Progressives, replacing fork seals and fluid, and upgrading your brake lines to stainless steel. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. RR
  21. RedRider
    This is the real symptom of the 'whining' clutch. Repeat as necessary to get it to stop. RR
  22. RedRider
    +2 on LD Comfort. Long sleeve shirt, wetted, under your NON-AIR riding jacket. Keep it zipped up. When you need some cooling, stick your arms out and let your sleeves fill up with air. The water evaporating off your sleeves will give a welcome chill and keep you cool for several hours. If you are riding fairly long distances with an air jacket and pants, dehydration can be a problem. Besides, in really hot weather, it feels like riding in a blast furnace. Have never used the cooling wrap. Need to score one of those and try it out. RR
  23. RedRider
    Think you hit the nail on the head - nice and shiny. That's all. RR
  24. RedRider
    +1 on the HF vacuum bleeder. Installed SS front lines and used the HF unit to fill and bleed the lines. Lickety split - it was done with no air in the line. Now I need to do the rear brake. RR
  25. RedRider
    I would be honored to get first shot. My son lives in Austin and can help if it comes to that. I am a mere waif compared to you. 6'4" with 34 inseam. RR
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