09RSTD

I use Amsoil full synthetic 10w-40 motorcycle oil. Oil is generally a personal preference just make sure that what ever you purchase meets or exceeds the factory Yamaha recomendations for warranty purposes. Keep your reciepts! In reference to your statement about temperature variations. Thankfully we are dealing with a water cooled engine. We don't have to worry about temperature change nearly as much as the air-cooled engines. Our machines our temp controlled by a thermastat and a radiator fan so once they reach operating temperature they aren't affected by changes in outside temperature nearly as much as an air-cooled machine.

Are you talking about the old style facoty leather bags or the current style hard bags? I have owned HD baggers prior to owning my RSTD. I really like the HD hard bags better for packing stuff. They seem to allow better stuffing and they and deeper but a little more narrow. If you can find a way to mount them and like the way they look I would say go with the HD bags. Obviously this is a matter of personal preference. BTW if you can get yourself a set of the old style factory leather bags and want to trade them for some flawless hard bags off a 2009 RSTD in red let me know. I always liked to look of the factory leather bags.

I have owned a few fuel injected HD's two were TBW and they were all great machines. Very easy start up and operated flawlessly. I owned a 2007 Buell with fuel injection that was terrible. It was so bad that I didn't feel safe riding it anymore. It would spit and sputter at low RPM so bad that it would occasionally die trying to take off. Took the bike to two Buell dealerships who did multiple adjustments, resets, and diagnosis with no luck. Probably just a factory lemon. Buell did however make changes to the fuell injection in 2009 and I bought a new 2009 Buell Ulysses that ran flawlessly. I also owned a very low mile 2004 Sportster that was carbureted and it was always a chore to warm up. Spit and sputtered even when it was fully warmed up. I treid changing everything and it never did run perfectly. Now onto the RSTD. I have owned two of them. A year 2000 and currently a 2009. I purchased the 2000 used with 30,000 miles on it. It was taken care maticulously and I never had the slightest problem with it. It rarely required much choke at start up. My 2009 seems to be the same way. When my bike is completely cold it seems like full choke is just to much. Doesn't need to be choked very long. Both of these bikes run flawlessly. No spits, sputters, hiccups, backfires, or lean pops. Smooth acceleration and very reliable. Now if Yamaha were to introduce fuel injection to this same engine I think that it would enhance the quality of the machine. Hopefully FI would get a few more MPGs and some better emmisions. Otherwise I don't see anything wrong with the current RSTD/Venture setup. There is a reason that this model has been in production virtually unchanged for over a decade. "If it ain't broke don't fix it." I have absolutley no complaints or concerns about the current reliability or performance. The current 1300 V4 setup has more pep and power than the 96CI 1584CC HD that I have had in 4 different HDs. I will never feel comfortable towing anything behind a motorcycle and I rarely ride two up. That being said I can't imagine the need for more power. My only current dissapointment with my RSTD is that it doesn't have a larger fuel tank/ longer range between fillups. Please Yamaha redesign the fuel tank to hold at least 6 usable gallons with an additional reserve. That is one thing I never understood. Here is a motorcycle that is completely capable of hauling me 300+ miles comfortably but I have to stop to refuel around every 200 miles due to the fuel capacity of my " 5 gallon " tank : (

First off let me just say that I understand your frustrations. I am the same way when it comes to waiting for something that I ordered to arrive. Motorcycle Superstore is usually extremely fastl therefor we all have unrealistic expectations of shipping times. Order thse brake pads from anywhere else that required shipping and you would undoubtedly be waiting longer. It is always faster to buy soemthing "local"" but it is almost always more expensive too. Lets face it just because the name Motorcycle Superstore might suggest that they have everything we can't expect them to have parts for every motorcycle ever made in stock and ready to ship. Good luck with getting the brake job completed and don't let this experience keep you from saving those hard earned bills at Motorcycle Superstore. We all know that they truly are better than most; most of the time. P.S. If you want genuine Yamaha parts at a discounted price check out www.yamahasportsplaza.com They have 30% off all OEM parts and 25% off all OEM accessories all the time! I do believe you have to pay for shipping though.

Well I was thinking. What do you think would happen if I stood at a very busy intersection wearing a suit and holding a sign that says: " I am wealthy. Anything helps. Thanks for making my life easy." Do you think anyone would give. If I was able to make good money doing it would it be considered dishonest gain?

Wow that made me laugh real good! Thanks I needed a good laugh.

I would be interested in gathering for a ride. Please keep us all posted as to when and where.

Suggestion. Not only should you check this bolt for tightness, while your at it why don't you remove it and put a nice light coat of LockTite in/on the threads. Then worry no more!

As much as I dislike Nike I say "Just Do It". Get in there and fix it even if that requires you having to remove the engine. Don't doubt your abilities. It may been a royal pain ( no pun intended ) to pull the engine but just imagine how it is going to feel when you are finished and you have accomplished such an awesome task. Patience be with you Brother!

My vote is to use Amsoil motorycle 10w-40. That being said, I think that as long as you use an oil with the same requirements as the factory specifications you will be safe. The thing that I personally feel is the most important is the interval at wich you change your oil and the type/quality of oil filter you use. Make sure that you are are using a high quality air filter and that you are servicing it at the proper specified maintenance intervals if not sooner. What you suck into your engine via air intake can cantaminate your oil. Also make sure that if you have done any alteration to your bike from stock form that your air/fuel ratio is set to perfection so that you aren't introducing any unwanted fuel into your crankcase due to unburnt fuel. With all of that being said I use Amsoil for one reason. I don't put more than 3,000 miles on my bike during the 3 to 4 months of winter weather. With conventional oil I would be inclined to change it after three months. I know that Amsoil is good to go after 3 or 4 months of minimal riding as long as my bike has been stored properly during that time.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I pray that the Lord will bring great strength and comfort to all of the family and friends during this time.

As with all things it really comes down to what fits your paticular head shape and riding style. Do you already wear earplugs when you ride? If not are you willing to. If your answer is no then you will want to insure that the helmet you choose is as close to a perfect fit as possible as modular helmets generate more wind noise. If you are planning on wearing ear plugs while riding to cut down on wind noise then many of the cheaper modulars should be very functional for you. $250 for a modular should get you a decent helmet. It won't be the lightest and it probably won't have all of the great features combined. I have heard and read great things about the CycleGear Bilt brand modular helmet. The model is called Bilt Solar Modular and retails for $199.99 but it has been on sale as low as $99.99. There are 50 reviews available on CycleGear website. It has the drop down tinted shield inside like you are talking about. Also one feature that sounds good is that both the hook and the bar for the locking mechanism are made of metal. Lastly a 5 year guarantee. If you don't like it for any reason CycleGear will give you credit for the purchase price. I have had really great customer relations with regards to returning defective or uneffective equiptment to my local CycleGear store. Hope that this helps.

I also used the NGK Iridium plugs. Seem to be working great! What really sold me on the iridium plugs was a video on YouTube showing the comparison between standard and iridium. Longevity is also a major plus. I still check mine at the suggested intervals.

Personal preference would be not to add color at this time. Being that this is your first tattoo if you put color on this tattoo then every other tattoo you get will also need to be color to match. You can always add color later if you decide to go that route. I also wouldn't shade it any more at this time. Leave it as it is. When and if you decide to get another tattoo then thats when you can decide on a "theme" for you tattoos.

All of this just goes to say that we need to be extremely cautious and safe out there. I ride to work a lot and if I am running behind I never ride my motorcycle. Slow down and go the posted speed limit on surface streets. If you want to go fast there is a time and a place for that. Also the highway is a much safer place to exceed to the speed limit within reason. I always expect the worse and anticipate everyone pulling out in front of me and cutting me off. We can never be to safe. Hope that everyone can keep the rubber side down and enjoy many years of "safe" riding. Also as a side note I completely respect everyones right to choose what kind of safety gear to wear. For me I love the fresh air feeling and the look of some of the half helmets, but I always wear protective clothing and a full face helmet. My face may not be much to look at but I like it ok and want my chin to be protected in the event that I go down.

Some folks like myself have the luxury of choosing from more than one "local" dealer. If it were me I would see what other dealers you have in the surrounding area. If you have another dealer that you would be willing to travel to call them and explain exactly what your situation is and see what they want to do about it. Assure them that this is an opportunity for them to gain a new long term customer. Do not do anything to your bike before you take it somewhere. Don't compromise the opportuntiy to show someone exactly how you recieved the bike back from the dealer. In the case that you happen to live in an area that only has one dealer that is close enough for you to be willing to travel to you might start by talking to the service manager and explaining to them your situation and your level of dissatisfaction. If that doesn't seem to get you anywhere your next step would be to talk with the store manager ( who may end up referring you to the service manager). Then I would goto the owner if at all possible. Unless the owner of the store is an owner/operator expect to have to wait before having the opportunity to talk with them. Keep record of dates and times of coversations and also take notes as what was said by both parties. Make certain that you get the names of the persons to whom you are speaking. If all of this gets you nowhere you need to contact Yamaha. This is a warranty issue and needs to be taken care of before the warranty expires! Please keep in mind that keeping your personal opinion as to the competance of a particular mechanic might be most beneficial in your dealings. Don't let the frustration of being messed around allow the conversations to become negative or heated/elevated. Control the coversations by keeping it proffesional. There is a difference between describing you level of dissatisfaction and getting frustrated and hostile. Also threatening them to go to another dealer or take this issue up with Yamaha will most likely get you nothing but grief in the end. Just thank whoever it is for thier time and move on the the next step. Keep in mind that if this issue has to go all the way to Yamaha to get resolved your most likely going to be directed back to the original dealer that you took your bike to in the first place; so remember to always keep your dealings as respectful as possible. This will eliminate the foot-in-mounth or tail-between-the-legs syndrome. Sorry for the long winded response but I have had similair issues in the past and have always had good luck at keeping calm and reminding some of the employees and or owners why they are in business and who is keeping them in business. Good luck with gettting this isuue resolved in a timely matter. Hope that you are able to maintain a possitive customer relationship with your local dealership. The unfortonate truth these days is some dealers just don't care and probably never will. Another thing to keep in mind is that in my experience some dealerships are much more equipped to provide a great purchasing experience but lack the ability to follow through with qualified and professional technicians. Lets face the facts; our Yamahas aren't in the shop to much for anything more than general maintenace and the occasional warranty issue. Qualified technicains aren't cheap labor and to have them sitting costs the dealership money. That is why I have some local dealerships in my area that have an awesome showroom and even a really decent parts counter but really lack in the service department. Just my .99 cents. If all else fails in the end the Brothers and Sisters of VentureRider will come through for you! Someone will bail you out and get this problem resolved in a hurry. Even if it required a complete teardown of your entire bike I know and am confident that there are many VentureRider pals that are not only willing to help out but very confident and qualified to help. VentureRider is truly a great place. Thanks to everyone everywhere for being so willing to share information and experience. This site has an overwhelming amount of information and a group of people willing to lend a helping hand. Keeping my fingers croosed that this issue is resolved seamlessly!

I would like to be added to the list to receive the copy of Ride Like a Pro. I have read and understood the terms and conditions of this offer and I am in agreement with my obligations. Thanks!

If I am not mistaken the Yamaha FJR 1300A series is offered in an automatic. http://www.smartcycleshopper.com/motorcycles/yamaha/2011-yamaha-fjr-1300a-sport-touring/ Its not a Venture but it is a Yamaha!!!