Recent content by RCinNC

Some years back I was in the Outer Banks where, amongst all the multimillion dollar beach houses, I saw this choice parcel of real estate: I don't know why it was there, or what it was for, but there were a couple of alien faces staring out through the portholes.

So, my significant other and I were taking a nice July 4th ride through the hinterlands of rural North Carolina today, and we pass something standing along the road that made us both go "did I just see that??". I swung around and went back to the spot and it was gone from the side of the road...

My guess would be no. I can't say for sure because I haven't studied the issue, but my guess is that the Yamaha extended warranty is not actually a manufacturer's warranty; it's a service contract provided by the manufacturer or someone in partnership with the manufacturer, wherein the owner...

There's actually no federal law that compels manufacturers to maintain a parts inventory for any particular model for a specified period after the model is discontinued, at least not in the US. That's something the auto makers do of their own volition. In the US, the legal requirement for...

Next month my car is due, and Randolph County is one of the few counties in NC that still require an emissions test. Let's hope the '07 Camry is up to the task.

Hardly very glamorous, but I got my bike inspected today (NC requires an annual safety inspection). The highlight was the tech saying "wow, that's a lot of miles!".

I don't know if I'd call it reasonable, but I change my fork oil every two years, along with the clutch and brake fluid.

Same here, Eric. I was riding out in Colorado and had a small bird hit the front of the bike and get wedged into the air intake. I didn't even realize I'd hit it until I stopped at a restaurant and saw his feet sticking out. Had he gone a little further in, I'd have never known he was in...

I've always read that, if you were going to mix bias and radials, that the bias should go on the front. Some Harley Davidsons actually came from the factory with that combination.

For me it wasn't so much a case of "cheaper" as it was of "availability". For a while there, it was exceedingly difficult to get OEM parts like bearings from Yamaha. If you got stranded someplace with a toasted wheel bearing, you might be waiting weeks (or months) to get one, whereas a bearing...

I did a deep dive once trying to source bearings for the bike from someone besides Yamaha, in case I was ever on a trip and needed to go through a bearing supplier rather than Yamaha. It can be a very frustrating process, trying to determine a match for a bearing using the nomenclature on the...

I had an '04 Road King for a decade, and enjoyed it immensely. I decided I wanted to do a different kind of riding that wasn't really within the wheelhouse of a 900 pound touring bike, but Harley Davidson and I parted on amicable terms.

A couple years ago I had some bike problems during a trip, and ended up going to the Waynesville Cycle Center in Waynesville NC. Those guys were very helpful, and got me right in to evaluate what was going on with the bike. Very friendly staff, too. I can't say what they would say to your...

The front wheel bearings are 22mm ID x 44mm OD x 12mm wide. The OEM bearing seals are marked with “6004DK”, “1113”, “Korea”, “KBC”. The outer race is marked with “KBC”, “F-845006”, “Korea”, “L0428-2127-37”. The bearings are sealed on both sides. Here's a list of all the bearings on the...

It'll be on the ground until I'm done working in the shed for the day, at which point I'll coil it up and put it back in the shed. I don't plan on leaving it connected all the time. Essentially it'll be no different than when I'm walking around the yard with my electric weed whacker and...