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Showing results for tags 'road'.
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I had planned on making my trip to Sturgis an adventure to remember, and I weren't lying. I've been on the road since 7/29 and since leaving home I've covered 5051 miles which lands me in Las Vegas, New Mexico at this time. Trying to get reliable internet access on the road has been near impossible so I have not been able to describe what has happened on this trip so far. There is so much to tell I don't know where to start and I'm sure it all can't be covered in one post so I'll have to tell ya'll this story in installments. Trying to summerize will be fruitless. Each day has been a minute to minute amazing , wonderfull, overwhelming, adventurouse journey. I have seen so much that I'm am sure that a book will be the end result of this trip. When posting before leaving on this trip many of you asked for pictures, so there are hundreds of those. In addition there is about thirty hours of video. A notebook full of hand written notes. Dozens of interesting people with stories of thier own. Places full of magic, beauty indescribable, history of our country's past. I only hope that I can be articulate enough to describe the range of emotions I have experienced in such a way to stir your emotions the way mine have been. I suppose the best way to cover the whole trip will probably best be segmented by each day or by each state that I've covered. So far on this trip I have visited 14 states, (in order visited): Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinoise, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorada, New Mexico.... To date Before I get back home to Atlanta I will add Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama to the above list. Although starting with yesterdays travels (New Mexico) Is kinda starting in the middle of the trip, yesterday was a prime example of what an adventure each day has been. So I'm gonna cover yesterday as a teaser to peak ya'lls interest. 8/20/08 New Mexico Part 1 I started the day in Trinidad, Colorado with housekeeping banging on my motel room door telling me that I have worn out my welcome by still being there after check out time.A condition that has been repeated each time I opted for a room rather than sleeping out under the stars. When I do finally drag up my gear and reload the bike, do my morning safety check, grab a cup of coffee, gas up and hit the road I start todays ride on I-25 heading south into New Mexico. By this time I had told myself and others waiting on my return in Atlanta that I was definetly on the way home by the shortest and most direct route possible. But as soon as I crossed the state line it became obviouse that I had lied once again. You see I had said the same thing in SD, WY, ID, UT and CO. The problem has been that the road atlas I have been using have these green dots along side certain roadways that indicate a scenic route and these green dotted roads almost never seem to be heading in the general direction of Atlanta. I had planned to cross into NM for a short distance and pick up 64/87 heading in a southeasternly direction toward Amarillo, TX. But when I got to that point I noticed on the map that there was a longer green dotted road going in a south westernly direction headed toward Sante Fe marked the Santa Fe Trail. So off I go following the Sante Fe Trail. Mostly because I had heard of the Sante Fe Trail before and had never seen it, but, I had never heard of 64/87. After all this route will only detour me by a few hundred miles from what I could tell looking on the map. The first part of that route was wide flat priarie on both sides of the road with high Rocky mountains on the horizon on both sides. Even though the road was long, straight and flat the monotany was broken up by sitings of herds of Antelope, deer and an occasional Elk. Until I come across this large mission style building sitting off the in distance off the road with this huge front entrance sign which read NRA Whittington Center. So I turn in and proceed down the long driveway lined with flags to see what this is all about. It turned out the structure was the new National Rifle Association facilty that included a firearms museam, gift shop and museam of the NRA. So I spent some time looking around. Turns out that this new facility was located out in the middle of 36,000 acreas owned by the NRA devoted to the shooting sports where they offered guided hunts and all manner of shooting ranges and competition settings for every type of caliber and shooting skills and sports. See pictures below. From there, I soon found myself entering the mountains into an area called the Cimarron Canyon where the Cimarron river follows the twisties, switchbacks and clover leafs that snake through the rock cliffs and hugh rock formations. It was quite a beautifull ride even though there seemed to be thunder and lightning storms all aroiund me except for the sunny patch that followed me all the way through the canyon. Evidently I'm limited on how many photos I can include in one post and I need to get some sleep before housekeeping kicks me out again so I'm gonna post the rest of NM later. But, to keep your interest I will tell you that NM part 2 will include the National Vietnam War Memorial in Angel Fire, NM Being detained by the NM State Police as part of a murder investigation and Madrais, NM where the movie Wild Hogs was filmed. -
Well, I've been around here (forum) since about Oct,Nov. of the year Don started this site. I picked up my '05 the next month (Dec). Been thru the site crash, changed my forum name, traveled to the the Dragon Rally in Georgia once. But most of all I've enjoyed the wealth of knowledge I've gleamed, and the general tone of the site. Good people, good times. Aside from the very occaisional religious or political BS...it's a good place to come daily and read casually some interesting things. Preamble said, the wife and I are taking off this sat. from here in Tenn. headed east, taking a leisure trip to the coast of NC up thru DC to NY then back. All the way will be impromtu and spur of the moment. Take it as it comes trip. 2 weeks of cruising the highways, byways and mostly back roads. If you see the Silver '05 w/ black piggybacker tooling down the road, don't hesitate to wave, shout or cry out. We'll be moving from Tenn. up to the NW (seattle area) after the first of the year. New job will take me to Switzerland for a time....house needs to sell (keep fingers crossed), and then the new page of our life starts. I'm so looking forward to this trip.....wish it was longer, but I'm figuring co-pilot will need a pressure washer to get the 10 pounds of gold bond off her back side by the time we get back, that 2 weeks will have probably been enough. See you all down the road! Jim
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Yeah.. OK so this morning was interesting riding into work with the extra tall/wide Clearview on the bike.. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome windscreen, nice and tall, takes the wind off your face, cuts down on the buffetting and clear to view through and all.. cleans nice etc However, around here in the Maritimes we're into the weird fall weather patterns already, cold at night, hot during the day, humid as heck dawn and dusk etc.. Got out to the bike this morning and it was coated with dew which isn't a big deal.. I didn't put a cover on the bike last night.. no worries.. but when I cleaned off the windscreen it wouldn't stay 'clear'.. it would fog up right away.. ergh.. what the heck.. OK.. So I left it for a few minutes to dry off but the cold dampness in the air (clear skies, beautiful sunrise mind you) would simply wet the windshield again.. Now that's not the worse part.. Once I got it clear I was able to ride out to work but half way there, in a turn I hit a cold patch and zoom, the windshield fogged up quickly and I had no visibility at all!! I can't see over the top of the dang thing.. The only thing that saved me on this twisty road is 15 years of daily familiarity with this road and being able to see around the windshield at the curve coming up (rocky shoulders with no where to pull over).. I shudder to think if it happened with the sun in my face.. wow.. Ever go riding down the highway, especially after dusk and see your mirrors fog up? basically this is what happened this morning.. And it cleared up rather quickly after I went through that cold damp patch on the road. I'm thinking I'm not a happy camper looking through carbonates anymore.. time for some trimming or a new windshield yet again until I find something safe!! RainX on the screen, vent open or closed didn't make a difference.. -
Hey all,first time poster,glad to be here.We were discussing the Wing a bit on an all brand board and a poster mentioned the venerable Venture being sorta tossed aside and not given it's due so here I am to try to find some info. I ride an '80 1100 Yamaha.. http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/yamaha_28/6-31-08049-1.jpg So I am fact finding actually...did Yamaha fail in it's marketing and advertising of the Venture as a good road bike or was the Wing that much better? Yamaha back in'83 or so sent me a mailing with a US road map,literature and a small square record with the song..Don't Follow Anyone....So what I am looking for is how are the early bikes holding up?Had this bike been on the sales floor in '80....possibly that would be what I would be riding now..........I HAVE not been thru this site so my post might be redundant...if so please set me straight........ Bill
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Even though I got a guardian bell when the SS bike was presented to me.Yammer Dan gave me one and watched me hang it from my right crashbar at the Asheville meet. Well I can tell you that bell was busy I could constantly hear it ringing alot of times.It stayed on the scoot for around 5k miles but is gone now and I have to replace the rear tire due to a screw in the sidewall. I guess that it got filled with road demons and decided to eject so they would stay away from the SS bike. Yall keep an eye on yours and pay attention when the ring you never know what is on the road. Jeff
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Went riding with JGorom today and as we were going down NY Route 63 saw a maroon MK1 for sale setting in a vacant lot. Didn't turn around to look closer but from the road it semed to be all there and fairly nice. I don't need another scoot at this time, but it may be a nice one to pick up if anybody in the area is looking for one.
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The one part of my Venture that I have always disliked is the look of the taillamp. To me it looks like a holdover from a '70's bike... kinda like the cassette! LoL I also have an '06 Road Star. The factory lamp on the Road Star is an LED with a clear look. Nothing red until you hit the brake. My question... has anyone ever attempted to fit a Road Star lamp to the Venture?
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I am leaving in the morning for a road trip to north west Iowa to visit family. I plan to hook up with my brothers and ride into south west Minnesota. I will be back on Monday 9/1.
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A friend of mine bought an '84 VR and had me take it out for a spin. It's a handful going around a corner or a curve.It wants to jerk rather abruptly when your riding down the road and hit a crown in the road or any wave pavement , like when they grind the pavement for resurfacing the highway.I'm not sure what to tell him. Any ideas? Thanks.
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I have a 2007 rsmv. At first I put on some stock slash cut road king pipes and cut out both quarter sized chamber plates. It ran good and had a good sound when getting on the throttle. I wanted a little something louder so I got some straight pipes that were off a true dual road king. It still runs ok but I can def smell a def in the exhaust. I was wondering if I should get the carbs adjusted. when in fifth it does get a little sluggish when getting on it. Thanks for all the help. Also is there a way to do this at home or is it just better to get the stealership to do it?
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I have a '99 RSV with 38000 mile on it. It has some engine or trans rattle when the bike is idling in nuetral. Kind of a low rattling noise that seems to be getting a little louder this season. I don't here it rolling down the road, the seems to be running perfect otherwise. I would appreciate any thoughts on what I might be hearing and if I should be concerned. Thanks for your help, Buford -
Yesterday our LI Red Knights Chapter NY25 went over to Connecticut to attend the RK CT4 Annual charity Ride for the Childrens Burn Center. Well organized and was a great ride with GREAT attendance. Only problem with the run was that an Officer who was helping with the escort was hit as he was moving forward in the line to position himself for his next stop point. A girl in a Toyota thought she could make a small gap that wasnt even there just as the Officer reached that point. I have no more of a report but will post it when I have more but the Officer was laying on his back in the road as several a bikers stopped as other officers as well. EMS responded. The ride continued as it was too dangerous for it all to stop. Please pray for the Officer. I cant tell you which department he is from as there were several agencies there and we werent told. Other than that mishap the ride was excellent and would do it again in heartbeat.
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I was seduced to the "Darkside" with the promise of increased tire life, better rear wheel traction, reduced costs, and good handling. Sounds too good to be true, and for me it was too good to be true. I bought a BF Goodrich 155/80R15 car tire for my 06 Midnight RSV. The tire cost $84.76 shipped to my door. My local motorcycle dealer politely declined my invitation to mount my new car tire. They said they were aware of people using car tires on motorcycles; however, in today’s litigious society, they didn’t think any liability waiver signed by a customer for such work would hold up in court. So, a friend and I mounted and balanced the car tire, easy job, and no problems. The maximum inflation pressure imprinted on the tire is 35 psi, but I inflated it to 40 psi because I believe that another "Darksider" is using that pressure in the identical tire. Now for the test. A friend and I took an approximately 350-mile ride through the beautiful Black Hills of NE Wyoming & South Dakota to include Spearfish Canyon, Mt Rushmore, and the Iron Mountain Road. Great ride, gorgeous scenery, and road conditions that varied from gravel to Interstate and every possible road surface except ice, snow and mud. Fortunately, we missed the hail storm that deposited several inches of hail on Hill City. From the beginning, the bike felt a bit squirrelly. On straight roads the bike had what can best be described as a slight wobble; like you get when going through a high speed sweeping corner with worn shocks. This "wobble" wasn’t bad, but it was always there except when under throttle. Reducing the tire pressure to 35 psi almost, but not quite, got rid of wobble. Reducing the pressure to 30 PSI increased the wobble. Turns: Low speed turns and parking lot calisthenics, (lock-to-lock figure 8's), were as easy as with motorcycle tires. Low speed curves, (under 40mph), under throttle were precise; however, the handling was nowhere near as forgiving as with a motorcycle tire. We hit Spearfish Canyon with approximately 110 miles on the car tire. Pushing the bike hard into several curves caused the rear tire to kick out before anything could drag. In fact I did not drag anything through the canyon. I have ridden this road many times, and the car tire did not corner as well as a motorcycle tire. The bike cornered fine if I stayed at or near the posted speed limit, except for the ever present wobble. We ran the canyon in both directions because road construction closed the road near the top of the canyon. High speed sweeping curves accentuated the wobble and at times were more than I cared to deal with. I only came close to losing control once and that was in Spearfish at a whopping 20mph. Road construction crews were removing asphalt with a roto-mill machine and the resulting grooves combined with the wobble were enough to have the front and rear of the bike going in different directions at the same time. It wasn’t fun. Despite, or in spite, of the ever present wobble, the car tire provided excellent rear wheel braking. It took quite a bit of pedal pressure to lock the rear wheel and brake induced skids were very controllable. I believe there would be fewer motorcycle accidents if motorcycle tires could provide this level of rear wheel braking traction. The car tire also excelled at wet traction and gravel roads. In conclusion, my experience doesn’t match what I’ve read from others who have gone to the "Darkside." Why? I really don’t know. Maybe they’re more skillful riders than I, or maybe I ride harder and faster then they do on their car tires. I believe that other car tires will perform differently, but only a couple of companies manufacture car tires that can fit the RSV. My $84.76 experiment with the "Darkside" is over. I’ve ordered a Michelin Commander to replace my car tire. I’ll keep the car tire around to use as an emergency spare, but I doubt if it will ever be on the rear of my bike again.
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Great song.
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Well, I took my 4 (almost 5) year old daughter on her 1st road trip this weekend. When I returned from Kitchener (her brother got to go on that trip) she wanted a turn for a road trip on the bike. We traveled 544 miles through the mountains of VA this past weekend including 120 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had beautiful weather and she did GREAT. It was such a nice ride I will prabably take her again in the fall when the leaves are turning.
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hey guys... haven"t been on in a while and thought i would give you a shout. i now have the time...the better half and i was out on a short ride when we started into a curve and the front wheel caught either a rock or road debrie. this caused us to go far into the other lane. i tried to get her as low as possible. the foot peg was dragging the pavement but it just wasn't enough. we left the road and was ok for a minute the front wheel hit a small hole hidden by the grass. the bike flipped to the left side and threw my wife off and flipped me over the sheild. i landed about 20 ft from the bike and my wife about 5 ft from it. needless to say we were carried to the hospital in an ambulance. we spent about 4 hours getting test done and thank god we were sent home the same day. wife has a large bruise on her leg and i have pulled mussles in my back. (when i landed it was on my back). still have trouble getting up and walking. pain meds seem to take the edge off. as far as the bike it gonna need a new fairing and a new saddle bag rail on the left side. first gens are sure tough though. no leaks and still purrs like a kitten. any one with extra parts that will fit a 91 let me know. take care everyone your fellow venturer steve:Avatars_Gee_George:
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Food for thought; there are a lot of deer on the road this year here in central Ky. I don't know how many deer hunters we have on here, but anyone who has interest in this sport could also help manage the population. We as humans have built their habitat out of existence, and they have to eat, so they go to road sides, gardens, etc. They are also an excellent food source when prepared right, and cannot be distinguished from beef. We all need to do our part, this could have impact on safety, insurance rates, and other areas. I understand that hunting is not for everyone, but we are losing hunters at an alarming rate, because kids are not being exposed to it. It is a proven fact that kids involved in outdoor activities do better in school, and stay out of trouble more. just something to consider and reflect on
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Today was the day... Been working on this thing pretty solid for almost a month. Time flys when yer havin fun.. Anyway, got it off the trailer that had served as my garage. Tried to remember if I had checked everything. Fired it up and took it to the end of the drive(about 200 yds). Well, it was still running, so on to the pavement I went. Cracked the throttle and off it went. WOW! What a feeling. Went about a mile then I remembered.. forgot to put the license plate on. Ooops Did a quick 180 back to the house. Course the registration is with the plate. That's all I would have needed on it's maiden voyage. Again, I want to thank all the people on this site that made it possible. Having never had a Venture before, I really needed the help. I hope that I can pay it back some time. I still have a couple issues but it really felt good to take er out on the road. Wayne
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This was parked next to my venture outside the restaurant tonight. Couldn't find the owner though. Not sure that I would ride it on the road. Although, shaft drive and a rubberband used for seat spring. Ya, definitely wouldn't take it on the road...
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I have been hearing speculation that the 09 harleys may have a water cooled enigne in the road king or ultra classic. Anyone heard anything?
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About 2 weeks ago, I installed a Stebel air horn on my 1500 Goldwing. Wasn't easy....the only place I could find to install it was inside the fairing, right in front of the left side pocket. That location presented some challenges in getting it properly secured so it wouldn't rattle around, and in getting the wiring properly run to it. Took a couple of hours, but finally got it done. Yesterday on my way home from work, I had my first opportunity to use it in an emergency situation. I had just turned off of the main highway in front of my place of employment onto a county road lined with houses and driveways. I was accelerating when I noticed a black SUV ahead of me which was turning into a driveway on my right hand side. At that point it was probably 100 yards ahead. I was closing fast since I was in acceleration mode. Good thing I was also in "observation mode", because the driver of the SUV was NOT in observation mode. He swung into the driveway, threw the SUV into reverse and gunned it, planning on backing out onto the road in order to turn around. As soon as I saw the vehicle start to move in reverse, I swung to the left lane (no oncoming traffic, PTL) and activated the Stebel horn. What happened next had me laughing for the next mile or so.....the driver of the SUV, convinced that he had mistakenly turned onto a railroad track and that a 100-car locomotive was bearing down on his unobservant arse, stood on the brakes in record-setting time, then threw it into drive and hit the gas. As I passed his rear bumper, I gave him the obligatory "what the heck are you doing?" glare and continued on my way. Watching in my rear view mirror, the chuckles began. He sat there in that driveway for at least 10 seconds before beginning to slowly and carefully back onto the road again. I'm sure that he checked both ways about 10 times before his second attempt....or maybe he was just trying to get his heart rate back to normal before proceeding. Thank you Professor Stebel for the "always-look-both-ways" lesson that you taught an unobservant driver yesterday! The $50 for the horn and the 2 hour installation was some of the best time/money ever spent on my bike. If I would have just had my wimpy stock horns, my Wing would either be stuck into the passenger door of an SUV right now, or would have hit the side ditch pretty hard. Wouldn't want either option. If you've never heard a Stebel, believe me it is LOUD! Every rider should consider adding this safety device to his/her bike. LOUD HORNS SAVE LIVES!!!!
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I put a set of Road King pipes on my 06 Royal Star Tour Deluxe and really like the different sound. I bought the pipes off of Ebay. I was going to drill them out but decided to just knock out the disk (plate) from the inlet side. Was a little work but not too bad. After installing them I wanted them a little louder so I driller 8 holes in the outlet end of each pipe and they sounded alot better. They turned out better than I thought they would. Fit perfect like the other trend said they would. I had to make a brkt for the back of the pipe to hold it up but wasn't a big deal. So if you want a lil more sound and want to experiment a bit I would suggest trying the RK pipes. I paid less than $30 for mine. I do have the stock ones complete to keep in case I want to put them back on if I trade the bike. Jerry
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So.. I have heard a lot of talk about the Dragon's Tail as a road that is fun for the twisties but I've never been on it. I was on two roads last week that certainly had some twisties and I am curious if anyone has ridden them as well as the Dragon's Tail and so could give some comparisons. I went to the Black Hills and first rode the Needle's Hwy down to Custer St Prk then road the Iron Mt Rd back up to Mt Rushmore. Iron Mt. Road had 15, 10 and 5 mph marked corners. It had an immediate 270 degree turn after exiting from a tunnel. It had the narrow winding slightly elevated blacktop split with each opposing lane having its own road then return together after a quarter mile. How does the Dragons Tail compare? Iowa Guy
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My '04 is now triked. I got it back on the 3rd and it has been raining ever since. Today will be the first day that I'll have it on the road. As soon as I get some pictures of it I'll post them. The "Venture" continues now on three wheels. Ken:banana:
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I am about to purchase a set of 99 Road King mufflerss for my 06 RSTD. I was wondering if anyone could put me in touch with somebody building mounting brackets for these mufflers. Also, another question, I drilled out my stock mufflers and got a lot of popping on decel. I have plugged the AIS and still popping occurs. I am not talented enough to rejet or adjust the carbs, so I am going to put these mufflers on in hopes of making it sound better. If there is anyone in the state of Washington that would like to help out a Soldier with rejetting or adjustment please contact me. All the food and beer you can drink would gladdly be offered as payment for your help.
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