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RedRider

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  1. RedRider
    Well, my influence (for good or bad) has rubbed off on my eldest son, Curtiss. He is on spring break from college this week and leaving today to go riding/camping. Curt is taking my 2008 KLR650 which is a reliable machine loaded down with everything he needs. This bike is really a great packmule. He will head out about noon today and is aiming towards Mammoth Cave Nat'l Park. He wants to camp, hike, and just sit around and read (going to school to be a literature professor). I envy him and want to go too. His route today will take him thru central Illinois (Rockford to Normal) and then over into Indiana. Once he gets into Indiana, I expect he will get off the interstate slab. Will likely stay tonight in the Hoosier Nat'l Forest near French Lick. Tomorrow will see him down to Mammoth Cave. I will post a picture of the loaded bike and son once he is ready to go. If he runs into trouble, I may need to rely on the graciousness and support of this family until I can get down to him. While he is 22, he is still my little boy (sure - 6'4" little boy) and I want to protect him the best I can (without him knowing it). I will keep you all up to date. I love my son and am very excited for him to make this trip alone. It will be a great experience for him. Wish him luck. RR
  2. RedRider
    You should enjoy this trip. Did it a couple of years ago with my Dad and a friend. Do you have a mapping software (Streets and Trips)? If so, I can send you some routes. +1 on ScooterBob's suggestion of Mt Washington, NH. Very, very cool. We left out of Ft. Wayne, IN and went thru Canada (crossed at Sarnia, ON / Port Huron, MI) and crossed back into the US on the ferry at Kingston, ON / Cape Vincent, NY. North side of Lake Ontario is very nice as long as you stay by the lake. Some highlights: 1) NY - Ferry across Lake Champlain. Leaves from Port Kent, NY and arrives in Burlington, VT. Also, at the southern end of Lake Champlain is Fort Ticonderoga. Take the tour if you are into history. 1.1) VT - Hwy 17 across the Green Mountains - amazing scenery 2) VT - Little country store in Hancock - South side of Hwy 125 in Green Mtn Natl Forest. Go to the deli in back and have them make you a sandwich. Only place I have ever seen that has candy, maple syrup, and ammo next to one another on an end cap next to the front counter. 3) NH - HWY 112 - Kancamagus Hwy. 4) NH - Washington Mtn. Don't come this far and not climb this on your bike. FYI - the temp will fall 30+ degrees on this climb. It may be shirt sleeve weather at the bottom. It won't be at the top and there is no place to stop and add layers. Wear your jacket the whole way. Have your wife take pictures 'cause your eyes will not be leaving the roadway. If you pull a trailer, leave it at the bottom. 5) ME - Cadillac Mtn in Arcadia Nat'l Park - get up really early and join the crowd at the top to watch the sun come up. You can ride all the way up. Another bonus is the park rangers do not man the booths at 4:30am and it doesn't cost anything. Ride the road around the park once the sun is up. Two lanes, one way, no traffic, no rangers, great pavement. 6) ME - Belfast - Young's Lobster Shore Pound. This is a place where lobster fisherman offload their catch. Young's has a 'kitchen' where you order your meal. The 'chef' pulls a lobster out of the tank and cooks it. This lobster has gone from the ocean floor to your belly in a matter of hours. The most incredible seafood meal ever. Accept extra napkins if offered. If you are even close, do not miss this stop. There is plenty of other fantastic stops along the route. These just happen to stick out in my memory. 2 week is no problem for this trip. Niagra Falls from the Canada side is prettier. You will need a passport (or one of the new special passes) to get back into the US. DO NOT take a gun into Canada. They do not have a good sense of humor about our 2nd Amendment. Also, if you have criminal record (including DUI), you may find it much easier to stay in the US. Have a great time, take pictures, and write a report telling us about your epic adventure. RR
  3. RedRider
    FYI for anyone shipping leveling links. They fit perfectly in the small USPS flat rate shipping box. $5.20 including the cost of the box. Take some newspaper (or do what I did and use one of the USPS flat rate envelopes) to pack them in the box. Obviously they won't get damaged, but it would be best for the postal carrier if the box weight was a little more stable. Steamer, enjoy your new ride. You will likely find the low speed handling will improve. If you want further improvement (and have the inseam), you may want to try leveling links (will raise the rear of the bike about an inch). Another option is to use a thinner front tire. But don't do both. RR
  4. RedRider
    Very nice bike. This may not be the type of helmet your son is looking for, but it is a good helmet and you can't beat the price. Plus, you get to actually purchasing it by going thru the banner at the top of the VR website (and Freebird gets some swag money). http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/closeouts/helmets/scorpion/exo_400_scar_motorcycle_helmet.html RR
  5. RedRider
    What Venture do you have? Your profile only shows a Wing. The leveling links work on all 2nd gen from '99 to present. If you want to add stiffness to your rear shock, add air. The Schraeder valve is on the throttle side just behind the driver's seat. IIRC, the max pressure in the rear shock is 45lbs. Check you owners manual. This should make quite a difference in the ride. RR
  6. RedRider
    I have a set you may have. PM your address and I will put them in the mail. RR
  7. RedRider
    Yup, heading out April 1st or 2nd to New Mexico, Death Valley, Majove NP, Downtown LA, up to Alice's Restaraunt, east to Moonshine, IL, and then home on the 9th. Can't wait. Too much darn snow and cold this winter. Scooter Bob, remind me again why we live up here? RR
  8. RedRider
    You can give me money - no problem. I will even throw in a motorcycle. It may not run, but hey, I will sell it to you. RR
  9. RedRider
    If one of your kids (or grandkids) has a PS3 it should play in there. RR
  10. RedRider
    Sears makes (or sells) two different versions of MC/ATV lifts. The red one is OK with OK reviews. The yellow one is more expensive, but has great reviews and works really well (I have a yellow one). I also suggest getting the CarbonOne lift adapter with legs. Best money you will spend. RR
  11. RedRider
    I tried to get the clutch basket off a Kawa Vulcan without the tool. Replacement clutch baskets are much more expensive than the tool. Get the tool. RR
  12. RedRider
    L'B, It sure would be awkward having to ride ***** on the back of a KLR if you broke down during a ride. To answer your first question, there is a connector under the tank that has two conductors running thru it. Red wire and brown/green (IIRC). The connector is light red. This connector is up near the ignition switch next to the two large white connectors (you will see them when you take the tank and ignition shroud off). This connector is also prone to failure. I believe you can take this connector apart, snip off the wiring harness half (vs. the ignition half) and install a couple of female spade terminals. You can then go in and install a relay across those two lines to take the load off the ignition switch. You may find this will alleviate your problem. I have been running around with my ignition being flakey as you have described for about two years. I also had to replace the connector as described above. Just this past weekend, I put in the bypass relay and the ignition switch now doesn't miss a beat. Please keep in mind that I live in WI and there is still lots of snow outside. Therefore all testing has been done in the lab and may or may not reflect actual results in the outside physical world. If you don't have a problem taking off the tank while on the road, find where the bypass switch wires in, split the wires and put protected spade connectors there. Then, if you have ignition switch problems, take off the tank, disconnect the spade terminals, plug in your bypass (which already has preinstalled mating spade terminals), and hit the road. RR
  13. RedRider
    Not if you carry enough Duct tape. Actually, depending on your HID setup, the standard light bulb can be easily put back in place. You disconnect the original light bulb connector from the HID harness, take the HID bulb out of the headlight, replace it with the original H4 lamp, and reconnect the original connector. I always carry a spare headlight (and taillight) with me just in case. The pygmies would come in handy with their small hands. Had to do this at midnight in North Dakota, in the rain, during the Minnesota 2010 rally. Really could have used the HID lighting that night. RR
  14. RedRider
    Martin Fabrication has 30" extension cables available with the waterproof connections. RR
  15. RedRider
    Agreed. I would love that too. (With an additional set of HIDs up there, I could vaporize anything that got in my way.) Actually, I would replace the PAR36s with the HIDs and move the MF HIDs to the KLR. RR
  16. RedRider
    My ballast went south after a month or so. I emailed back and forth to Scott, ultimately returned it, he replaced it under warranty. Now, I have a switch/relay to start the light after the bike is running. Same as with the HID running lights (although they are not CCC lights). I believe the CCC lights are what you pay for them - cheap. However, with the switch in place, it may last thru the year. RR
  17. RedRider
    These are 35W each lights. Therefore, they draw 3 amps each. I am still running the stock stator. The headlight also pulls 35W. However, that is less than the stock headlight of 55W (I think) so I get some savings there. If I run all 3 HID lights without the standard running lights, it actually pulls less power than the previous standard head/running lights. I have a volt meter on the bike (LED, not digital) and it displays green with all lights blazing - at high idle (with choke on). RR
  18. RedRider
    Both the switches and the fork lights are from Martin Fabrication (Google is your friend). If you have the chrome trim around your front fender, the bracket fits perfectly between the fender and the trim. In fact, there is a spacer in between that is replaced by the mounting bracket. Almost like it was made for it. The lights are easy to install, however, mounting the other stuff is kind of a pain. Each side has its own ballast/igniter (one unit about the size of a pack of smokes) that need mounted in the fairing. They both fit nicely in the throttle side with some double sided tape. You will need to get the extension wiring since the stock wiring is only about 20 inches. MF has a 30" extention (one for each) even though it does not show up on their website - you have to ask. I know how bright the headlight is at night on the road. Really looking forward to the retina searing lumens being thrown down the street. RR
  19. RedRider
    I have completed the installation of an HID headlight and a pair of Martin Fabrication HID running lights. Attached are some pics when off, when on, and the switches (on and off). I added a switch for the headlight since it dies during starting (voltage drop will not keep the HID burning). Am looking forward to burning a hole through the darkness soon. Need to get at least another 6 inches of snow melted off the back drive though so I can get the bike out of the shop. C'mon Spring!!! RR
  20. RedRider
    Had some of this around the house. Only use it to bait mouse traps. Jif Crunchy is the only way. RR
  21. RedRider
    Jeff, Pictures are required .... of the dog too. Good dog. RR
  22. RedRider
    Had a different bike with a slotted hole cover like that. Put a quarter in a set of ViceGrips and it worked great. RR
  23. RedRider
    Well done. Thank you for your service to the community. As a thought ... Have you considered doing a first aid presentation at a VR gathering? Such as Don's MD or the Cody Rally? Just simple basics. What to pack for a first aid kit and how to use it. How to get a bug out of the eye. Cuts, road rash, shock prevention, etc. Not sure how deep to go. But you get the idea. Thanks again. RR
  24. RedRider
    Playing basketball. RR
  25. RedRider
    Sat on the Tenere'. As of now, that will be my next bike. Absolutely fantastic. However, still have 4 kids in, or about to enter, college. New bikes will need to wait. Ducati had some really fine looking ..... umm... bikes. Agree'd, nothing overly special in the Honda booth other than the Cobra customs. They were really amazingly cool. My boys had a great time looking at all the motorcycle pron. RR
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