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guys/gals if you can make this ride it's a great ride for a GREAT cause!!! they come from 4 directions that join in at the children's home....lots of fun and lots of bikers.. Staging Places with Kickstands Up If you do not want to ride in a group just Join us at the home at NOON Amory, Mississippi--Wal-Mart--10:00 am Hamilton, Alabama --Exit 14 River Road Citgo--10:00 am Jasper, Alabama--Berean Christian Book Store--10:30 am Russellville, Tuscumbia and Florence Area Meet at Customized Cyclez 1110 Hwy 72 west Tuscumbia AL 8 am. Leave at 9 am Hwy 72 east to Hwy 43 turn right on Hwy 43 to Russellville. Arrive in Russellville AL. at 9:30 am Fred's,Old Food World parking lot 13150 Hwy 43 s Leave Russellville at 10:00 am for Haleyville AL. Hwy 43 s to Hwy 5. Be in Haleyville AL.10:30 am No stops. Natural Bridge at 10:40 am No stops turn right Hwy 278 go about 500 yds turn left on Hwy 13 to Eldridge Children`s Home by 11:30 am. Sulligent, Alabama--Piggly Wiggly Parking Lot--10:15 am Sumiton, Alabama--Alfa Ins./Wal-Mart--10:00 am Tuscaloosa, Alabama--Northport Civic Center--10:00 am Winfield/Guin, Alabama--Plaza BBQ Parking Lot--10:30 am http://www.alchaptertgwrra.org/page.asp?tab=19&category=66&page=175 http://www.echbenefit.com/
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Hey, does anyone have a ride, rally, or m/c function that is going on in your neck of the woods, or prairie, or hills, or valley in the next couple months ??? I am itching for another ride before this year ends. I am riding down to Bolivia in the beginning of January, but that means I have the rest of October, all of November, and all of December with no rides planned. Whoa is me. So if you have a m/c event in your area, or anywhere west of Timbuktu, Mali (that is in Africa), please send me a PM, and let me know. I need some more miles on these tires on my RSMTD before I take the bike apart for wheel attitude adjusments. Thanks,
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Part One: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73786 In part one, linked above, we looked briefly at the motivation one might have for getting involved in "longer than your average ride". Self-satisfaction, friendly rivalry, exploring your own limits ... fun! They all play a part. However, remember back when you learned to ride? If it went smoothly for you, it is likely that before you learned how to make a motorcycle go forwards, you were first shown how to stop it. Logical really. Cover the clutch at all times. The minute you are unsure, pull in the clutch and start to brake. Sure you develop from that with experience, but knowing when to stop is just as important to LD Riders as it is to those taking their first tentative steps on two wheels. There is no shame in abandoning an attempted ride. There is nothing wrong with realising that what you might be attempting is not within your grasp this time. Your wife and family want you home, safe and sound and in a position to try again at some future time. When you abandon a ride, you do not "fail" ... you simply learn one way that it cannot be completed. More than that, you demonstrate a maturity of judgement that you can be rightly proud of because you just demonstrated your ability to ride safely, even when every instinct was screaming disappointment. I am not speaking theoretically. This year I have failed to finish a rally (DNF) when I simply considered it unsafe to continue. I tried ... I even tried to get two hours sleep and maybe that would help. It didn't help, but six hours sleep helped enormously and I safely rode the 500 miles home next day. Equally, I abandoned an BBG attempt (1500 miles in 24 hours) when the time slipped so badly that completing the ride would have required speeds I was simply not prepared to ride at ... even on the Interstate. I did complete 1700+ miles in 32 hours, which is a different Certificate. Sure I was disappointed yet I am still alive, still happy and I am now better placed to make future attempts because I know what I have to do, and how to accomplish it. These things are not easy. If they were easy no one would bother. We do it because it is a very hard thing to do. That is the point. Knowing when to stop is not easy. It is very easy to stop because you want to stop. I always want to stop My hips cramp up after about 700 miles. My back and shoulders sometimes ache a bit (I'm working on that). I want to chat to my wife, have a meal, a drink, a cigarette. I'd give anything to stop. That isn't the "stopping" I am talking about. I am talking about knowing when to stop because to continue would be unsafe. You have reached the threshold below which you are not comfortable continuing. This differs for all of us. Our thresholds vary and what we must do is work out when our bodies, or riding is telling us that fatigue is beginning to negatively affect performance. Remember this is an endurance event, so you do actually have to "endure". That is a hard thing to do but it only becomes an unsafe thing to do if we ignore the signs. So what are they? Well the Iron Butt Association has a very handy "Archive of Wisdom" which lists 28 tips from Iron Butt Rally finishers. Number 12 says: "As soon as you are tempted to close an eye, even "for just a second", find the nearest safe place to pull over and take nap! Other symptoms to watch for: Inability to maintain a desired speed. If you find yourself slowing down and constantly having to speed back up, you are ready to fall asleep! Forgetting to turn high beams down for oncoming traffic. Indecision. Can't decide to stop for gas or continue? Can't decide what turn to take? These are all a result of fatigue." You generally wouldn't start with a BBG attempt, or any of the other extreme rides. Indeed the IBA will not ratify such a ride unless you have first completed one of the easier ones. I use the term "easier" advisedly. So start shorter. Develop the techniques and self-knowledge that will stand you in good stead when the pressure is really on. Learn for yourself the signs you should NEVER ignore. Don't think that because you are fatigued and need to stop that you cannot complete the task. Sometimes pulling into a rest area and grabbing 30 minutes sleep on a park bench, or even on your motorcycle is quite sufficient for you to safely continue. But if you must stop, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones and other road users to stop immediately. You will gain a great deal from taking this point on board. Inappropriate speed kills. All Iron Butt Rides can be completed within the posted speed limits. You just have to be savvy about route planning for some of them is all. Riding much quicker than the prevailing traffic is tiring; riding faster than the prevailing conditions permit is downright dangerous. When you are out trying for that first SS1000, or bonus hunting on a Rally, you are simply a road user. You are not special, nor are you doing anything that has a special dispensation to play fast and loose with the laws. Do it too often and the local Sheriff will no doubt remind you The real key to covering the distance is to prepare your mind and body, to prepare your motorcycle and to plan an efficient route .... THEN KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING! The example I gave the other day was to imagine you are out riding with a buddy. You are cruising the interstate at a steady 60 mph. You stop for 10 minutes and he continues. It will take you ONE HOUR at 70 mph to catch him. You can easily see how this can work against you and it is why I have struggled to develop a routine that means I can gas up the bike in 3 1/2 minutes, ramp to ramp, if I need to. Generally I don't actually need to, but I practised just in case. Have at the safety aspects in the thread. Thjs stuff is important and we need to hammer it out before we move on to the mechanics of how we bring this all together for a successful ride. Part Three: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74050 -
Just got back from visiting Larry and Joyce, and Ragtop69 as well. Larry looks good considering and it was great to see him stand up! I was expecting on seeing him still in bed but he is up and around, using a walker for anything more than a step or 2 but that's just for protection and security for trips to the bathroom, etc. It's hard to keep a good man down! Of course his ribs and shoulder still hurt but the redness from his scrapes and bruises is getting better. Sure was good to see the old coot and spend some time with him!! Right now the biggest issue for him is the boredom! I know EXACTLY how he feels having been thru it myself where you are injured or recovering from something and you feel OK enough to get out of bed and move around, but you aren't healthy enough to do things around the house, etc. You know he wants to get out in the garage and putter around but can't yet! So needless to say he was really glad to see us as so were we to see him! Kudos to Jay and Jeanie (Ragtop69) for keeping him company and being there for him when he really needed them! He is already looking for a new trike to ride!! I did not see the trike but saw pictures of it. It is definately totaled, and was just confirmed by the dealer this afternoon. Now is just the long wait for the insurance adjustment, and for him to be healthy enough to make whatever he decides on into his very own ride! We are looking forward to riding with him once again! GET WELL SOON LARRY!!!!!
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I made it to Atlanta last night after dropping off the 99 RSTD with Tazmocycle so he can go through the carbs while I'm in Atlanta for classes man i cant wait for Friday i will be able to ride last years anniversary present from my wife for the first time and my anniversary is on the 15th of this month
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Just bought an '88 Venture last night. The owner said it was making a clicking sound from the rear. From what I've read it sounds like the axle may need to be aligned? Is it safe to ride it like this? I really would like to take it for a spin. Thank you.
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Bet you thought I forgot. This was after our M&E with Beer30 after we ate dinner at Volcano. First pic checking out new ride Next pic getting ready for a ride Last pic going for a ride Great color for Kevin isn't it? Goes so well with his eyes. :rotf: Amazingly Walmart didn't throw us out. Of course the little kids were checking him out cause their moms wouldn't let them ride in the store. Margaret
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From the invention of the motorcycle there have been two areas of riding that can be considered to be the extremes of the pastime. Those who want to ride them faster, and those who want to ride them farther. The way motorcycles are used in day to day activities varies from place to place. In the UK, and in much of Europe, the motorcycle was often the primary form of transport for working men and working class families. When I was a child we didn't have a car, our houses did not have garages. My Dad had an elderly BSA 650 with a Canterbury Double-adult sidecar. He went to work on it, took Mum to the stores, and we would use it for vacations traveling from the north of England to the South to visit with family. That was a journey of nearly two hundred and fifty miles. Dad on the bike, Mum and kids in the sidecar and it could take upwards of ten hours including driving right through central London. I guess my introduction to long journeys on motorcycles started at an early age. My first recollection of riding my own bike a long way was at age 17. I had a BSA Bantam D175. Even then that bike was older than me. I once rode it 450 miles in about sixteen hours ... maybe eighteen. Top speed was close to sixty miles an hour. Compared with what I ride now, that journey was tougher than any Bun Burner Gold or SaddleSore 1000, but I was young, and more than a little foolish. In the US motorcycles have pretty much always been leisure vehicles. Yes there are people who use them as transport, but in the UK they were principally transport and it led to different development paths for both bike and riders. I have friends who think little of riding eleven thousand miles in eleven days, and others who love their motorcycles just as much, but who wouldn't dream of riding more than a couple of hundred miles in one go ... a distance that wouldn't even come close to emptying my gas tanks, yet each is as valuable to the sport as the other. It would be a grey world if we were all the same. There are those who think that riding 1500 miles in under 24 hours is foolish, even dangerous, and others who can't comprehend what it takes to do such a thing but would like to hear more about it. To deal with the safety aspects briefly, because it is a subject we will come back to. Riding a motorcycle is not the safest way to get from A to B. That is reserved for aircraft We all ride, and we know the risks yet choose to accept them. We live in a risk-averse society, yet we also realise that life is a continual balance between risk and reward. We could quit riding motorcycles and take the truck, or SUV, but the price we would pay for that is too much for most to accept. On the other hand, let's not get stupid about it. I have a wife and lots of kids and wherever I roam, they want me back in one piece. So we are going to be looking at not simply how to ride a long distance, but how to do so in as safe a manner as possible. It is notable that the accident statistics for LD Riders are about the same as for all motorcycles. The accident severity is generally less because of the insistence upon All The Gear, All The Time (ATGATT). The other thing that should be said upfront is that LD Riding is not about speed. Every Certificate Ride on the IBA website can be completed within the posted speed limits in the US. Indeed, it makes sense to keep your speed at a moderate level because the stopped time for gas outweighs the time gained by speeding once the speed creeps up to 80mph and beyond. "Performance Awards" from State Troopers are unwelcome expenses and many Rally Masters will disqualify riders who pick up too many tickets. The safest, and least tiring way to make progress is to ride at the speed that has you doing the least work in terms of over-taking and being passed. On most roads that trends towards the speed limit plus a few mph. It varies from place to place. The real secret is not to ride fast, but to keep the wheels turning as much as you can. If you are riding with a friend at a steady sixty miles per hour and you stop for ten minutes, it will take you one hour at seventy miles an hour to catch up with him ... You see how that can work against you? On this site we have broadly two kinds of bikes. The "slow but new" and the "slightly faster but old". We have the first and second generation Yamaha Ventures. The first thing to note is that they are all quite capable of doing anything and everything I will describe in these articles. When we look at buying and choosing a bike, the Venture might not be the first or best choice, but they are the bikes we have, and they are quite capable. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we need to look at why anyone would do this at all. It is part of the human condition to explore our environments and our personal limits. People choose to do that in any number of ways. Some seek maximum financial gain as a measure. I once heard a billionaire say that the money was irrelevant other than a way of keeping score! Folk run marathons, play sports, write books or find some other hobby in which they strive to excel. Endurance has long played a part in our make-up, and I choose to explore my own limits on a motorcycle. What I am sure of is that many of us need to do "something", because forever sitting on the sofa is simply akin to "waiting for God". There may be readers who do not wish to ride long distances, but simply came here looking for tips on how to make their chosen journeys more efficient or more comfortable. I hope we can help you too. Riding for Certificates, or simply bragging rights is a solitary pastime. It brings it's own rewards. I well remember watching my GPS tick over 1000 miles. I was on a 1977 Yamaha XS750. It was raining hard and about 40F. I was thoroughly wet, very cold and I was into hour 20. The mixture of misery and elation I felt as I counted down the last mile, in tenths, would earn me a fortune if I could bottle and sell it. http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/IBA%20Saddle%20Sore%201000/IMG_0421.jpg Arriving home at end of Saddle Sore 1000 - March 2010 Beyond Certificate riding is a whole world of Rallying. These are like scavenger hunts on crack. The bonus is that you will get to meet many folk from all over the country in a spirit of fun and friendly rivalry. Again, the only prize is satisfaction. We will look at both. The principles are the same even for those simply going on vacation. You still have to manage the miles. You still want to be comfortable, well-hydrated and free of pain. The main difference is that generally the time pressure is removed and you are free to relax and stop where and when you fancy. ** I may edit this. A limitation of the Forum is that I can't save a draft so if it appears to grow in length, or sprout pictures you might want to scan through for stuff I added Part Two: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73853 Part Three: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74050
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It has been a great ride over the last 46 years,but I think it is time to hang the helmet up.It was sad to see my trike leave. I am planning on staying a member. I don't post much ,but I read your posts every day.I think I will get two seat ragtop and still ride the back roads.
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Went to a pretty cool event tonight, Full Throttle Ministries, Blessing of the Biker's night. This was there. A biker's last ride:
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Just replaced the pads on the rear of my 85 and now the rear wheel needs alot of convincing to turn. I had to clamp the caliper to get it back on the wheel. Put it all back togeather easily enough. Will it wear down and let loose after a long ride? Its a little hard/near impossible to push it back into the garage. Thanks for the advice.
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Hi everyone, so I'm trying to relieve the insane stiffness from the front end on my 86' that I've just mildy overhauled. I'm having a hell of a time dialing this in I have Progressive springs and the block of plates from Skydoc. I've dissassembled everything and there is no binding with the forks whatsoever. One thing I find very curious is, even with the forks hanging in the air and no wheel attached, they are VERY hard to compress. Even the weight of the bike barely compresses them. They decompress fine. THen, when I drain the oil out, they slide perfectly. I'm starting to wonder if I need to put the AD's back on? I just returned from a 3500ish mile ride so I think the springs are broken in. I don't think it's a matter of too much oil because a lot of it blew out in the first 100 because I guess I put the 13.5 oz in and that's too much? Also, when I drained each leg, maybe half cup came out of each. Irony is, I go for a ride on my 1975 Kawasaki S3 w/horribly pitted forks and ancient springs and it is a FAR smoother ride. Yeah, it's mush but smooth. What could I be missing here? Thanks! -
I signed up for the PGR and I am still waiting for my newbie kit but I am going on my first ride Sunday to send off troops to Afgan. I hope they will be patient with me. Tom
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http://twigg.smugmug.com/Motorcyling/Rallies/Autumn-Equinox-2012/i-SCBkMR4/0/L/DSCN0895-L.jpg http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/25/1135986/-Autumn-Equinox-2012-Dallas-or-Bust Seems like the old VR can still show those Gold Wings and BMWs a thing or two
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I will be retiring Nov 30, My wife and I are relocating as snow birds. We will be living DEC through June in Naples FL. I have checked the Star Touring web site and there are not a lot of chapters in Fl to say nothing of the Naples area. We would like to find some other Riders in that area who can enlighten us to places in the area to ride, things to see and just chat about bikes in general. Tried to see if I could somehow sort the members list here into somekind of geographic order without success so I am putting this out in public. Do you ride in the SW florida area, or know others who do and who might like to get together once in a while and ride? Al
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We are making plans to meet Dragonrider for the St. Jude ride on Oct 6. Anyone else going? This is always a great ride. You can tour the hospital or Ronald McDonald house...either one is a great tour. We meet for lunch first and then ride to St. Jude's where we present our check. Then we get the tour. If you can't ride, how about a donation? We could really use it this year since we didn't do "Vogel". Contact Dragonrider and he will let you know how to do this. If you ARE going, let us know...maybe we can meet up along the way and ride together. Patti
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Anyone here come from a 1st gen and then bought a BMW K1200LT Touring bike? I am playing with the idea as you can get them cheap with low miles compared to the Goldwings, plus they are physically smaller. I am eyeballing a 2001 with 20K miles on it for $6500. Do they ride like the 1st gen? I am just looking at about $3500-$4000 to make my 83 100% reliable and fixing 2nd gear as well as forks, etc... and only a little bit more will get me a bike that shops will actually touch, you can actually get parts for, and I will feel comfortable taking on a 1500 mile ride without worrying where the Uhaul rental centers are to get back home. Second Gen is out as I dont like the harley style bikes. They are pretty, just not my style and I dont like forward controls. And I dont have $12,000 for a 10 year old goldwing.
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I've done parts of this route on separate rides before, but when you string them together, it is an awesome day of riding, especially with the clear, cooler weather we have now. Left just north of Atlanta at 0700 yesterday heading north up 575/515 to Blue Ridge, then up Rt. 5 to McCaysville into TN, then up Rt. 68 to Tellico Plains where we picked up the western point of the Cherohala Skyway and took it all the way to Robbinsville NC. If you have not ridden this before, put it on your bucket list - - it's one of the best 60+ mile stretches of road you'll ever ride. Then up US129 to the Dragon, which I have to say was way too crowded to really enjoy yesterday, but it's still a fun, twistie ride. At the top of the Dragon, we took the Parkway on a long, lazy ride to US321 south, stopping at a few scenic overlook areas to just take in the amazing views and do some bald eagle watching. We jumped off 321 onto SR337, aka Lamar Alexander Parkway, for a great ride along the Little River all the way to just south of Gatlinburg. On the bummer side, we came upon an accident scene where a biker ran off the road heading in the opposite direction. Don't know their fate, but the bike (looked like a Road King) was clear down the embankment and in the water. Hope they were OK. From Gatlinburg, we headed south on US441 through the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest to Cherokee NC, then back southwest on US74 to Andrews, Murphy, then SR60 to Blue Ridge GA, then back home down I-575. 14 hours, 475 miles, multiple stops for food and sightseeing, and capped off with a hot toddy and some much needed Advil! If you are looking for the ultimate Fall leaf peeping ride down this way, this one would be hard to beat. The colors aren't fully in yet, but the next 30 days or so will be spectacular, and the long range weather forecast at least for the next few weeks is supposed to be very cooperative - - 70's during the day and chilly but not cold at night. We plan to hit all or parts of this route again before the end of October if the kids and grandkids will let us get away, along with side trips already planned for Savannah later this week and Thunder Beach (Panama City Beach) in 3 weeks. Time to stock up on more Advil!
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Will someone PLEASE PM me, with all the details and info needed, regarding the 3rd annual LeaF Lookers Ride, in the Wisconsin Dells, on October 5th, and 6th. I have searched and searched this forum website, and I cannot find the detailed specifics of the ride, exact location, motels, etc. When I go to the VR Rallies page, it lists the ride, but there is no link for further info. What I would like, in my weird mind...is a good old-fashioned rally flyer kid of info. I see where a lot of people chat about the ride, but...that is not helpful to someone riding 2000 miles to get to the ride. I may...in fact...try attending this ride on my way back home from Happy Valley/Goose Bay. Or...may ride all the way home to Washington State, leave my Super Tenere' in the garage, and jump on the RSMTD, and ride back out to Wisconsin. So, if you have the detailed info of this event, PLEASE...PM me. Thanks, Miles
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Saturday I got to take a ride I've wanted to do for a while over Wolf Creek pass (Hwy 35 from Woodland to Hanna, UT). What a great ride and the colors are in the midst of changing. Just off of the Hwy is Mill Hollow Reservoir. Jan and I worked at a school education camp by the reservoir, when we met 33 years ago. The guy I was riding with asked if I had ever been up that road.....YES!!! Even though it was gravel road with washboards, we went the three miles up and back. What great memories. We have a painting of the lake from the same perspective as the attached picture. http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr70/utadventure/MillHollow_zpse74f96d1.jpg http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr70/utadventure/MillHollow2_zps1111a1dd.jpg
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I finally was able to get my pictures uploaded! It was a beautiful weekend for a bike ride and meeting up with our VR Family! What a great turn-out! Like Riderduke said, everyone was ready for a good ride! Our thanks to Riderduke for putting this together! We spent the night at Riderduke's and Felicia cooked supper for us and made the best dessert ever - Chocolate by Death! What a way to go! And we had our margarita toast to Warrior Saturday night. Thank you both for your wonderful hospitality! http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/venturerider/2012/SleeperhawkMechanics%20201201%20NC%20ME/Sleeperhawk%20Mechanics%20VA%20091512%20ME/
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The largest bike dealer in our area (Sunrise Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Polaris) has 100+ used bikes in there pre-owned showroom. I have an appointment @ 10:00 this morning to test ride a 2010 Venture, 2010 Kawasaki Voyager, and a 2012 Victory Vision. I am in the market for a full dresser, and this is an excellent opportunity to ride these bikes back to back so I can get an immediate feeling of which on I like most. I am extremely interested in seeing how the V4 compares to the two twins, and also, very curious to compare the difference between the Kawi and Victory twin powerplants. I'll post my findings........
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Any one going to the rumble on the river rally in Bandrea this coming weekend? I am going Thursday afternoon. Call me if your there maybe we can get together and ride. John 5125542731
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I thought I should take a ride thru Wascana Park in Regina SK. today before the first frost of the season that is forecast tonight takes most of the leaves. It was a good time to try out Drift camera and take a short ride thru what is touted as the largest urban park in North America. Then I went into downtown a bit until the 2gb card filled up. Ive got the Drift set at 1080 res but I am sure that You Tube really drops resolution. I am really happy with the camera and mount it in a couple of places on the bike, but still like the low mount point on the front crash bar the best for around town. Brian
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We celebrated our 33rd Anniversary on Friday. Boy is she patient! We honeymooned in Arches National Park and decided to return again this year. We rode down on Friday and stayed at the Archview Resort. I've wanted to ride through Arches on the bikes for a few years now. There is also Canyonlands Nat'l Park and Dead Horse State Park nearby, so we decided to take a ride Friday evening up to the other parks and then go to Arches on Saturday morning. Dead Horse we great and then Canyonlands had some beautiful scenery and great, twisty roads to ride. Saturday morning we rode through Arches and it was as good as I had hoped! We didn't get to take all the pictures we wanted to, but got a bunch. Hope you can enjoy them too. http://s470.photobucket.com/albums/rr70/utadventure/2012%20Anniversary%20-%20Moab/ Dave
