Project: Black Widow Venom Motorcycle (Yamaha Warrior)

2005 Yamaha Mid-Night Road Star Warrior, 12,500 miles. 102 cubic inch V-twin, 1700cc engine. 200 50/17 rear tire.

Air box and filter removed from the side and underneath the gas tank.

Churchkey Velocity Big Air Kit installed to throttle bodies.  Sensor relocation plate attached for relocating coils, air temp sensors, and vacuum.

Hand shaved Air Induction System (AIS) block off plates.

Removed AIS system.

AIS block off plates installed.

Coils and sensors relocation complete.

DynoJet Power Commander III USB for fuel management and mapping.  The allows fuel control at RPM vs. throttle positioning.

Arlen Ness mirrors and Avon "air cushion" grips, add a nice look.

Italian made Givi 755N windscreen.  Keeps wind off the chest and makes long rides a little easier.

Vance & Hines Big Shot performance exhaust.

Coil and sensor relocation cleans up the front of the motor to show off the big cylinders.

Nice clean view, had to make custom fitting for the Givi to fit.

Project complete, Mid-Night Warrior performance and style.  Weather has warmed up and now it's time to let the good times roll.

While the weather is cold and wet outside, there's plenty of time to do maintenance and improvements on your ride.  This year I decided to add some HP and style to the old Road Star Mid-Night Warrior.  Mine is a 2005 model with 12,000 miles on it. 

Performance Modifications:

• Removed stock air box and side air filter.
• Installed Churchkey Velocity Big Air Kit with High Flow K&N Racing Air Filters.
• Removed stock air induction system (AIS).
• Hand carved and installed AIS block off plates.
• Installed DynoJet Power Commander III USB, fuel management system.
• Removed coil hanger and coils.
• Installed coil relocation plate, relocated vacuum lines, air temp sensors.
• New Bridgestone Extrendra 200 50/17 rear tire.
• Vance & Hines Bigshot exhaust.

Style Modifications:

• Arlen Ness tear drop mirrors.
• Avon air cushion grips.
• Givi 755N windscreen.

Summer Time Is For Baseball

Enjoying the outdoor weather at a Carolina Mudcat's baseball game in Zebulon, NC.

Von and Sarah hanging out with mini-Mudcat at 5-County Stadium.

Summer time is all about being outside, watching a baseball game, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and watching an awesome firework show if the Mudcat's win.  Which they do occasionally.  If it's a Friday or Saturday night game and our home team wins, we are treated to one of the best and up close firework displays EVER!  The burst are so close, I've had still burning cinders fall on my arms.  You will be so close at you'll feel the rapport.

This is cheap entertainment in the summer.  Typically it's about $7/person, and $5 to park.  Granted, the concessions are not cheap, but it's a slow game, and we have time to talk, walk around, etc.  Yep we eat a lot of junk food when we're at the ball park, cotton candy, sodas, hot dogs, hamburgers, and chips.  It's a good time.

Paintball for Fun....A little Pain Never Hurt Anyone (Xtreme Kombat Warfare Center)

Sarah, Von, and I ready for a full day of paintball fun.  It does hurt, but not as bad as you think.

Von with a fully automatic SAW (squad automatic weapon) air-soft gun.  It has the weight and feel of the real thing.

Kids and adults a like have fun playing paintball.  It's fast, exciting, and fun.  It does take quite a bit of energy to run around.

Sarah got to go play paintball at Xtreme Kombat Warfare Center right outside of Durham, NC.  We got a great deal on Living Social.  The package includes gun, goggles, and 200 paint balls.  The Warfare center also offered equipment to buy or rent, and they also had facilities for players to play air-soft.  Air-soft are plastic BBs, and it's a pain tolerance game.  I think.

I just want to say that this place rocks.  We were able to play in three completely different environments.  The fist one had little barricades and barrels to hid behind, the second one was an urban combat town with rooms, houses, and towers.  The third terrain was in the woods, with some low barricades spread out.

Now if you've never played before I highly recommend it.  It does take a lot of running.  The paint ball does not hurt, and there are rules to say "surrender" at close range.  Close range is where the paint ball can cause a bruise.  The paint ball is actually slow enough that you can see it flying towards you and sometimes you can duck it.  There are no need for sites, because you have to lob the projectiles to the target.

Typical scenario is the referee will divide the two group into teams.  Then both teams will approach and engage.  There can also be other games like capture the flag, or escort the prisoner.  All I have to say is that this gets two big thumbs up from my kids.  It was a blast.  200 paint balls each may last about two games, but additional paint balls are cheap.  Bring lunch.

What to expect and bring:  Wear long sleeves, long pants, and tennis shoes or boots.  The field could be wet and muddy. Bring a lunch, and you can spend all day there.