First, I'd like to say that I am pretty thrilled about buying myself a 2004 Roadstar and also pretty excited about this forum. Being that I am a new bike owner my knowledge on alot of things is not that great. Right off the bat I have a few questions for everyone willing to read this.

1) I have a B.A.K., Samson Shogun Warlord (no baffles), and I purchased the Barons Jet kit as well. I followed their instructions and put the biggest jet they offer in their kit, I believe it is a 172, in my carb. Being my father is a mechanic I had him tune the carb for me. Now, I know bikes are very different from automobiles so I am wondering if it is necessary for me to bring my bike into a bike mechanic and have them dyno tune it? Thoughts??

2) What would you recommend for a front tire size? and what difference does it make? I am going to go with a 160/80/16 for the rear for the extra width but, does it really make that big of a difference over a 150??


3) When I get home in May from my deployment I plan on taking a trip to the black hills and yellowstone in the late spring. Anyone have any suggestions or helpful tips on what to pack other then the obvious things. Also, I plan on camping instead of getting hotels.

Thanks all!!!!!

Hi ascarset,standard tires work well,as far as tuning I dont think its nessary to dyno just my opinion,ride and enjoy your bike

from Yakima, WA

Sounds like a nice bike. Any pics? The jetting goes, I am sure some of the carb experts will chime in soon. For camping, make sure you have a good luggage rack for extra stuff and lots of bungee cords . My Uncle an I do a lot of camping in the summer and it sure makes for a great experience. The freedom is second to none. As far as things to pack we found that many backpacker items such as stoves, cooking utensils, tents, chairs, and sleeping bags seemed to be the best for size and weight.

I found this link useful for when I was first starting out in motorcycle camping:
http://www.gadgetjq.com/campcklst.htm

from Tx. As for the carb, another member with
more knowledge will be along and answer that.
I've ran 160/80/16, and 150/80/16. Personally, I prefer the 150/80/16 on a 1600.
But think the 160/80/16 might be better on a 1700.
Don't do overnight trips often, but with my back problems, camping is
out of the question.

This is a great forum, with a great bunch of folks, enjoy.

welcome to the world of Roadies and the best website and people on the biker planet. You'll find more help here than you can imagine and IMO...there's no better way to travel on your bike than camping!

from WI. Thank you for your service.
All we ever packed besides clothes and sleeping quarters was our phones, plastic money, the GPS and my S&W.

I have about the same setup on my 04'. You should be ok with the jetting. Mine is.... pilot, 35 (stock) main 172.5. Pms 3 turns out. Since your dad is a mechanic, might wanna make sure the float is set right...per tech articles here ....and you should be ready to go. I get about 42-44 mpg around town and country road riding ....close to 50 mpg on the interstate. Dyno'd mine last year and it was right on including AFR.
All bikes are different but you should be close.
I run stock tire sizes ...not much you can do with these stock rims.....you can go 160 on the rear but its not much of a difference over the 150.
Have fun.

Welcome.



Rich

And just let me add... I hate camping!

You've just become a member of the proud elite!!!

first off thank you for your service and welcome to the clinic dyno tune is nice to do just so you know,tires i stay with stock sizes as for the trip long johns turtle neck sweatshirt rain gear triple a card with motorcycle coverage and some extra cash there are still places that do not take the cards