Aaaare you with me? (The misssspelllliiinng is intentional to keep this article at the top of the page. Tricky, aren't I??)

Most everything posted up here is based on personal experience, but there are many of you out there who have "peeked under the hood" of your Royals and found a better way. A lot of what I know came from meet and greets, the bulletin boards, and forums which saved a bunch of headscratching when I finally got to put wrench to metal. Feel free to post a comment with suggestions for new tech tips and articles - I'll get back to ya.

Aaaas aaaalways, feedback on any other article is appreciated if you find a better way or figure out something I missed that could help a fellow wrench down the road ...

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off Phillips screw heads.

Every now and then, a little voice starts mumbling in the back of your head, insisting you must do something to relieve the boredom, blow off some steam, impress the cagers, reinforce the negative image of bikers everywhere, and in general, be a public nuisance. Well, bucko, it’s your lucky day! The following are step by step instructions for the perfect burnout.

Come on, ya know ya want to ...

Paul in Oklahoma writes:

Let's see if you've had THIS one happen. Yesterday, I was riding at 60-70 mph into a strong headwind (20+ mph, I estimate). I have OEM engine guards on my '96 Royal with Aeromach highway pegs mounted to them. I also have an OEM windshield without lowers. When I put both my feet up on the highway pegs, the engine began to immediately lose power acting like it was running out of fuel. The moment I moved either foot back to the boards, full power came right back! I tried this again several times with exactly the same result. At slower speeds (< 50 mph) there was no effect. It appears that I was choking the engine with my leg position by creating a vacuum under the airbox.

The Dyna 3000 Digital Performance Ignition System (D3K) is an aftermarket module that replaces the stock unit on the Royal Star. It has 8 selectable advance curves, 8 selectable rev limits, and status LEDs for power-up, pickups, TPS operation, and MAP sensor operation. If you're feeling radical, the unit also includes a retard mode for nitrous or blower applications. It uses the stock coils and wiring harness, and is a simple plug and play installation once you dig your way down to the mounting location.

So, is it worth it ??

Contrary to popular opinion, changing your fork oil is relatively easy. You don't need to tear down or remove the forks to change the oil. You will need to prop the front wheel off the ground to remove tension on the springs. Most normal people use a bike jack - me, I use a chain hoist.

The yellow reserve light comes on, but there should still be plenty of fuel. Either that or the light comes on, and there's no reserve fuel available. These suckers are just wayyyyyyyy too heavy to push. So what's the deal ??

Beware of synthetic oil, it can do terrible things to you and your beloved motorcycle. It will not only leak out of your engine faster than you can put it in, but it will also cause your oil filter to clog and implode, dumping debris and dirt into your lubrication system. It also will make every part of your bike permanently slippery because of its linear molecular chain dispersion action. Then it will leak onto your kickstand causing it to retract automatically, dropping your bike on the ground! But that's not all...

Joshua in Indianapolis writes:

"I'm in need of a carb sync tool and am leaning toward the TwinMax - I thought I saw somewhere that you use one. Could you quickly walk me through the synch process on a Royal? Do you synch the carbs in a particular order? Do I need anything other than the TwinMax to do it? I don't have a tach and I keep reading that I might need one. Bear in mind money is tight - can a good carb sync happen without a tach?"

Notes from the novice mechanic:

"I want to install the D3k and from what I'm reading it is a pretty basic install. My question is what else do I need to do, or what other things do I need to be concerned about if this is the only thing I do for now and what kind of added performance can I expect? I'd like to do the baron BAK and the Vmax differential but any hands on by me for this is way out of my league. Also I've read that changing out the cam with a venture cam is something I may need to consider. I also understand I need to have a different exhaust system to make the combination of everything else gel. I guess what I'm looking for is the list of things I can do initially, the parts I need and any recommndation as to what I can expect for a price if I have a shop do the work. I have inquired locally and they came up with about $4000. with their parts and labor. This price doesn't include the rear end and they figured labor at a $1000. plus. Is this a fair price or are they way out of line? "

Vmax final drive gearing for Royal Stars and Ventures is available on an exchange basis at www.RMSportMax.com.

(saves BIG money over buying a new VMAX rear, and swapping the gears into a RS housing...) Gives more passing/pulling power for 5th gear, especially in 2 up/loaded with gear/trailer/sidecar/any combo thereof/ situations.

So, what all is involved in making this magic happen ??

The little buggers are in. What a story. First and foremost if your going to do this mod, READ DA MANUAL, THINK about it, READ it again, put the manual in your bathroom and when your spending a little "quiet time" with yourself READ IT SOME MORE".

Kudos and a hat's off to Mike King (StarHubby) for submitting this article ...