I finally got my tug back from the shop Saturday. The transfer case needed a complete rebuild. The previous owner had let the case run dry. I heard it when I test drove the rig but didn't recognize it for what it was. Some lessons in life are more expensive than others I guess. I spent a good portion of Saturday reattaching and realigning the car. Tried it without the damper but found it to be necessary. I made a final adjustment Sunday morning and everything seems good. No dramatic pull either way, tracks just fine. Took the family out for a spin and then went up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for some solo practice time. Wow, what a blast! Picked my daughter up from pre school today and had her entire class with their noses pressed up against the windows watching us go! Info I got from this forum proved invaluable in getting the rig together, thanks to all for being so helpful. See you on the road!
Turtle
My husband grew up on St. George Ave. in Crozet and one of my sisters has lived there for years. I'll have to get my husband to watch for you when he's riding the Parkway (which he does most any day). It's still my favorite place to ride, but I don't ride it as often as my husband does.
That's a good looking outfit; I especially like the sidecar.
Connie
Turtle,
Congrats, I have a Daytona also that my grand daughters just love. Now putting my daughter in with them it really feels like a ton a weight I'm dragging (she'd kill me for saying that..lol), can you notice a big difference with the added weight?
Yeah, it is noticable, but I wouldn't say it's dramatic. That Roadstar has so much torque the sidecar doesn't really bother it at all. I feel the extra weight most when coming to a stop. But with the family along I try to leave extra room anyway. I tried it one time with just the kids in the car and my wife behind me on the bike but I didn't care for that at all. The rig is much more stable with everyone in the car. When my older daughter is big enough she'll probably move over onto the bike with me. Or if the planets align right, my wife will start riding solo and I'll have the kids. Anyway you slice it, it's a lot of fun!
Turtle
Wow, small world huh? I don't know a ton of folks here, only been in Crozet 3-1/2 years. We're in Laurel Hills. I hope to be getting on the parkway more as the summer progresses. Spring and early summer are tough times to get away from the job, but I sneak off once and a while! I was planning on getting a season pass for the Skyline Drive as well. Lot's of nice places to take the family hiking, picnicing, etc. It'd be nice to get together for a ride some time. We're not too far from each other are we?
Turtle
Turtle,
Total blast to drive - Isn't that the truth, I ride mine way more than taking the car. I love it, mine is hooked to a VTX1300. I'm in the process now of lighting it up with those cool LED lights for night riding... Should be cute..LOL I also had a custom white tonneau made for it, I haven't had the rag-top on in over a year. The kids heads are low enough, I just flip the sides up on it for them. Best thing I ever did getting this rig set up.
Linda
Hi Turtle,
It is a small world! I thought it was great when I saw a hacker in Crozet. It's grown quite a bit since I worked there years ago. I live on the western side of the Blue Ridge. We're not far from the Parkway. We usually get on the Parkway at Whetstone Ridge, if you know where that is. We're probably an hour's ride from you, but the Parkway is in the middle. We could meet sometime and ride the Skyline Drive or if you want to head south, we could meet somewhere on the Parkway. Either direction is good. We'll have to work on planning a ride sometime. I won't be taking my rig on any long trips this year thanks to the price of gas. We're supposed to be heading down to Dahlonega, GA for some riding in the GA mountains this weekend, but I'll be riding two-up with my husband on his 1800 Goldwing.
Hey, did you take your bike to Wayne's Cycle in Waynesboro? Wayne's a personal friend of ours and president of our motorcycle club.
Connie
Connie, I know what you mean about the gas. I picked a heck of a time to get into hackin, and a Roadstar with a wide car to boot! Although it's still better mpg than my car, so at least I can justify using it to commute. I did take the bike to Wayne's. The service dept. does good work and I feel I can trust them. Have a nice trip this weekend!
Turtle
Had wondered how your bike trouble played out. It sucks that you had to take care the the other owners screw-up. I've taken my rig and dog Taylor down the Parkway to Willville motorcycle campgrounds twice last month. We'll have to get hooked up for a ride soon. Good to hear your on the road again. Roy
Roy, I'd like to do that. I'm riding down to Amherst tomorrow for a work seminar. It gets out about 2 so Ithink I'll take the parkway home. Next weekend I'm going to Gettysburg for the weekend for an informal rally of vstar 650 owners. (current or previous) Great group of folks. They're all excited to see the rig. Maybe the weekend after? Let's stay in touch.
Turtle
