utadventure

Orrin, I hope you heal quickly and get back to riding. I bought a Clearview this past year and have enjoyed it. Price was a factor but the quality of the shield is great and I appreciate the extra width (especially in the cold). The only down side that has been mentioned, is the lead time required to get it delivered. If you have the patience, save a few pennies on the windshield and get something else for the bike.

I just read this story and found it interesting. An inflatable jacket to protect a motorcyclist in the event of an accident. Anybody here have one? http://www.wbaltv.com/news/14328936/detail.html

Sorry to hear about the harrassing phone calls you are getting. The do not call list won't be effective for you in this situation. Because they have a "prior" relationship using this phone number, they have a right to place a call to your number even if you are on the the DNC list. I have a caller ID box that has a block number feature. When they call in, it rings once, identifies the number and plays a message that calls are not accepted from the number. There are obviously ways around that. Another thing you can do is inform them that person X doesn't reside there, you have no forwarding number and then report them to the phone company (dialing*57 with my carrier immediately after the call). This sends a report of a obscene or harassing phone call to the phone company. The phone number is recorded and action can be taken after 3 calls from the same number are registered. (I'm guessing you would have to be proactive about enforcement). Best of luck.

Check the hoses!! I've had a hose bubble on the inside and restrict the water flow causing the vehicle to overheat.

This creates an interesting impression about South Carolina and motorcycles. Charleston is saying they don't want bikes around while Greenville is inviting, possibly the biggest motorcycle group to their city for a week. Interesting, very interesting.

I number of members have talked about purchasing a new bike but you can't ignore the effect Sales Tax has on that purchase. In Salt Lake, 6.85% is added to the final price. So, which state has the best sales tax rate on a bike (new or used)?

I friend of mine has the same bike here and loves it. He leads a number of the local rides we take and challenges the Goldwings to keep up.

and people think HD's leave things on the road!!! They are beautiful animals. My boss breeds racing horses and they are great to be around.

The following is some info from May of this year as provided by the US Air Force I read on another website. While the average age is actually higher than I thought it would be, another factor that needs to considered - the type of bike ridden. If you were to factor in tourers vs. bullet bikes, I think you would see a difference in these statistics. Just thinking of this group and those that I ride with locally, our average age would be 50+ and we are significantly beating the statistics. In our local group, there have been no serious accidents or deaths and the VR group has been quite safe as well. Just my 2 cents worth!! ____________________________ Yesterday morning we received notification of another USAF motorcyclist fatality. We asked the Traffic Safety folks to run some numbers and here is what we discovered… Good news: While national motorcycle statistics grow much worse (see below)—we are not following that trend. Bad news: Seven warrior Airmen have lost their lives in motorcycle mishaps this fiscal year. This compares to seven at this same time last year. While some of this year’s fatal motorcycle mishaps are still under investigation, one fact is readily apparent: Of the seven mishaps, six were single vehicle mishaps. The only mishap involving another vehicle was a result of loss of motorcycle control, and veering into oncoming traffic. Preliminary analysis tells us that all seven did not maintain control over their own motorcycle. None were caused by a four wheel operator failing to see or account for a motorcyclist. We found some very interesting nationwide motorcycle safety stats/information via the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which pertains to the general U.S. populace: Deaths of cyclists have skyrocketed during the past decade while deaths have decreased among passenger vehicle operators. Motorcyclist deaths have more than doubled since 1997, and in 2005 accounted for 10 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths, up from 5 percent in 1997. In 2005, a total of 4,439 motorcyclists died in crashes, up 14 percent from the 3,904 in 2004 The typical motorcycle rider is 41 years old, according to the latest survey of owners conducted by the Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit trade group based in Irvine, CA. The number of deaths on motorcycles was about 34 times the number in cars per mile traveled in 2005. 71% of motorcyclist deaths in 2005 occurred during the six months of May – October. Fatalities peaked during July – September and were lowest during December – February. 59% of motorcyclist deaths in 2005 occurred during Friday – Sunday. A National Highway Transportation Study on Motorcycle Safety indicated emphasis on the following areas can reduce motorcycle fatalities: Failure of motorcyclists to appreciate the inherent operating characteristics of their motorcycles Failure of motorcyclists to know the limitations of their motorcycles Failure of motorcyclists to follow speed limits A close study of the IIHS data reflects problems in the general populace that fortunately, we do not typically see in the Air Force. That is, failure to wear helmets, unlicensed riders, and a large number of individuals riding under the influence being fatally injured. Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses teach both basic and experienced riders the necessary skills to safely operate a motorcycle. However, we are seeing our motorcyclists exceeding their riding skill levels and dying. Today’s popular high performance motorcycles (some capable of reaching speeds in excess of 140 mph in a standing start quarter mile) can reach illegal/inappropriate speeds in a matter of seconds. This performance is often what leads our folks to get into situations that they cannot get out of. Another area of concern is the growing number of older motorcyclists. The Army is seeing a markedly upward trend in older rider mishaps. So far, we do not see this, but we should stay aware of the national and Army trends, as exposure is rising. Often times our safety briefings focus on the younger troops. In regards to motorcycling, we need to ensure we identify all of our motorcyclists, and ensure our briefings and mentor-ship includes everyone. Age does not necessarily always equate to experience. The average age of our motorcyclists involved in fatal mishaps this fiscal year was 28.7 years old. The 101 Critical Days of Summer are nearing. Summer vacation/leave, favorable weather, and growth of our motorcycle riding population are all factors that can increase our risk of motorcycle crashes. What can we do to reduce the possibility of motorcycle mishaps? Strongly emphasize personal responsibility and risk management. Many of our Airmen who were fatally injured were licensed, trained, and wearing proper personal protective equipment when they lost control of the motorcycle. Motorcyclists need to exercise restraint while riding on public roadways. This restraint comes from within, although proper mentor-ship and leadership emphasis can help Continue with our aggressive motorcycle safety training Enlist the help of squadron commanders in identifying and monitoring unit motorcyclists Increase motorcycle safety mentor-ship for both inexperienced and experienced riders (regardless of age/rank) Continue to emphasize education beyond the required MSF training (experienced courses, refresher training, sharing “There I was” articles…) Seven lives have been lost to motorcycle mishap thus far this fiscal year. This is seven too many. Our Airman Creed states, “I will never leave an Airman behind, I will not falter, and I will not fail.” Let’s make sure we are doing what we can so none of our motorcyclist Airmen are left behind.

While he was on his trip out west, he was looking at staying at our place on Sept 8-9 but was going to head back home with one of the other riders because of an accident the other rider had. They were planning to go a little slow and easy. But, he should be home by now. Are you out there 86er?? Dave

I just ead about a product called Red-Kote. It looks interesting but I don't know about availability. http://www.ftrs.com.au/fueltanks/red_kote.php

The trailer you bought needs the 5-pin flat connector - that's what I would install. Then if you want to pull your friends trailer, either go during the day with low traffic, without attaching the wiring or temporarily connect a 4-pin. Then you can switch it out for your 5-pin. Lastly, you could wire your 5-pin and then make a patch cable to go from 5-pin to the 4-pin. Dave

Quick test is to put a DC volt meter across the battery while the engine is running. If it reads 13.5 - 14 VDC you're charging system is probably OK. Next I'd pull the battery and most Auto Parts places can "load" test it. You may have a bad cell and just need to replace the battery. You also may want to double check the battery connections and make sure there is no corrosion. Simply cleaning them and reconnecting the battery may solve the problem. If it's still a problem, then it could be the sensor/computer or you may need to more extensive volt testing on the stator output. Dave

same a car + to +, - to -

Monsta - I'm not sure what you mean by a folding backrest but -- I have the Utopia drivers backrest and love it. It folds forward for easy access for the passenger, is great support for the driver, and with the quick release, it can be removed by simple pulling it out of the sleeve. In seconds I can just ride without.

The side covers have two "posts" on the front of the side cover, one at the top and the other about half way down. The rear has a clip (for loss of a better word) that snaps around a post with a rubber grommit on it. All of these release by pulling straight out. There are some tabs that fit up under the seat and false tank cover as well as a rubber strap that holds the side cover on, on the bottom of the side cover a little over half way from the front.

Click on the "Clearview Windshield" on the right hand side of the main page. John is good to work with but I understand he's about 8 weeks out on new orders.

Dan- I had to replace my speedometer about 5K ago, but I still have the old one. If you can use any of the parts, you are welcome to it.

I've had my '86 for a year and a half now. I have always used the mid-grade fuel (87 octane, I believe) and have good power, no knocking or pinging and 36 - 38 mpg. I've never sync'd the carbs but wonder if it would improve the mpg a little.

Sorry for you loss. Our prayers are with you at this time. May fond memories support you until you are together again.