As per request of BamaTrider and Skip MMShadowT, I am making this introduction.
When I first moved to Colorado in 2001 (by the way, I am from the Cleveland, Ohio area originally), I was just doing one day rides on my 1986 Honda Shadow 500. After a while, I had done all of the interesting one day routes I could do, so I need to expand my horizons to 3 and 4 day routes. That is when my 2000 Honda Shadow ACE Tourer arrived on the seen ( 2005). It had hard bags which allowed me pack more and lock it up too. It is a beautiful bike (black and chrome; Vance & Hines mufflers; rear rack; Mustang saddle; Cobra engine guard; Kuryakyn highway pegs) and has enough power for the mountain passes. In 2005 I took 2 4 day rides and just loved it.
There was just one problem: I did not have enough leg room. I'm 6'3" and my knees where getting very sore and my legs where getting numb. I checked locally for a person who could alter my seat and give me more leg room, but I was not impressed with what I saw. I really loved the multiple day trips, so it occurred to me to get a full touring bike. In 2006, I got a 2002 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It gave me the extra leg room and increased cargo. To be honest guys, the Venture is my "true love", and the Tourer is my "first love" ( that is why I was reluctant to make this introduction). I was going to sell the Tourer, but nobody would offer what it was worth even though it was in mint condition. I got tired of dealing with the jerks giving me low ball offers and let it go for another year.
This year, I found your website and it gave me some ideas. You guys posted about custom seats (I learned from you guys that the Mustang seat on my bike is meant for riders under 6 feet ), higher windscreens, and better tires. I started to think about keeping it as a second, lighter bike. I rode it while I was having work done on the Venture, and the "love" started to return. So I will be in need of your advice on improvements and maintenance.
I belong to a club called The Venturers at venturers.com. We have a great group of guys, but there are not many of us in Colorado. It occurs to me, that it would be great to meet some of the HSATF members in Colorado. I also would be glad to pass along any useful info from the other club.
When I first moved to Colorado in 2001 (by the way, I am from the Cleveland, Ohio area originally), I was just doing one day rides on my 1986 Honda Shadow 500. After a while, I had done all of the interesting one day routes I could do, so I need to expand my horizons to 3 and 4 day routes. That is when my 2000 Honda Shadow ACE Tourer arrived on the seen ( 2005). It had hard bags which allowed me pack more and lock it up too. It is a beautiful bike (black and chrome; Vance & Hines mufflers; rear rack; Mustang saddle; Cobra engine guard; Kuryakyn highway pegs) and has enough power for the mountain passes. In 2005 I took 2 4 day rides and just loved it.
There was just one problem: I did not have enough leg room. I'm 6'3" and my knees where getting very sore and my legs where getting numb. I checked locally for a person who could alter my seat and give me more leg room, but I was not impressed with what I saw. I really loved the multiple day trips, so it occurred to me to get a full touring bike. In 2006, I got a 2002 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It gave me the extra leg room and increased cargo. To be honest guys, the Venture is my "true love", and the Tourer is my "first love" ( that is why I was reluctant to make this introduction). I was going to sell the Tourer, but nobody would offer what it was worth even though it was in mint condition. I got tired of dealing with the jerks giving me low ball offers and let it go for another year.
This year, I found your website and it gave me some ideas. You guys posted about custom seats (I learned from you guys that the Mustang seat on my bike is meant for riders under 6 feet ), higher windscreens, and better tires. I started to think about keeping it as a second, lighter bike. I rode it while I was having work done on the Venture, and the "love" started to return. So I will be in need of your advice on improvements and maintenance.
I belong to a club called The Venturers at venturers.com. We have a great group of guys, but there are not many of us in Colorado. It occurs to me, that it would be great to meet some of the HSATF members in Colorado. I also would be glad to pass along any useful info from the other club.
one inch higher and one inch farther back. The improvement was amazing. I can ride a full tank of
gas ( > 200 miles) on that custom seat and also all day (300 to 600 miles).
