First Impressions.

[ArticusMedicus]

OK I was going to write more last night, but I hadn't slept well for three days. Needless to say I was a bit on the excited side over getting another Venture.

So by the time I got home last night, I was freakin exhausted!! I had the energy to post one picture and that was it.

 

First off, I love this 2nd gen:rotfl:

 

But she ain't anything like my old '84 with it's Mustang seat.

I was able to put down about one hundred and fifty miles yesterday and Mama got some seat time as well.

My first gen was the first fixed fairing bike I ever and like wise, my second gen in the first fork mounted... there is a huge difference between the two.

 

The 04 seems to wander on the road a bit more and is pushed around by the wind. I'm guessing that not having a fixed fairing is what's causing that.

But I have to wounder, the guy I bought it from just put new tires on it. He had Dunlop Elites put on it. And the front tire is actually a rear tire put on backwards...Ever heard of that? He said it makes the front tire last twice as long...OK but does it effect the handling??

 

Ok onward. The seat is comfy, but not like my first gen seat. I got monkey butt pretty quickly. But that might have been because I was wiggling in the seat allot, tryin to find that sweet spot. I guess I'll get used to it soon enough.

 

I was expecting to hear a nice soft rumble while driving, but all I hear is the engine noise and the whine of those straight cut gears. I'm not a fan of the Harley sound so it's no big deal to me.

 

I so impressed the low speed handling of this big bruiser!! The turning radius is a little long but I can do it with out sticking my foot out. She darn near stands up on her own at stop signs.

 

I noticed I get a lot more wind on me on this bike over the '84. It has the wider wind screen but it still makes for a bit of cool air at night. It's a give and take I guess. It will be nicer in hot weather that the '84 which would kill me when it was hot, but in cooler weather I'm gonna have to dress like a biker

 

All in all, I'm happier than a pig in ...well you get the idea.

 

Now I just got to learn how to keep her clean.

 

 

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/Wheellock/100_1498.jpg

 

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/Wheellock/100_1504.jpg

 

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/Wheellock/100_1499.jpg

[FreezyRider]

The wandering around on the road could be your steering head bearings. Mine was doing the same, following every crack or tar snake it could find. Last Saturday I put her up on the lift and checked the steering according to the excellent article in the 2nd Gen Tech Library. It was too loose. Ten minutes later I had it tightened up to where it should be and what a difference! No more wander lust!

 

Joe

[ArticusMedicus]

Dang Joe, I just went and looked at that and that looks simple enough.

I'll be putting her on a lift tonight to see if she needs it.

 

I got to put her up anyway so I can give her a good inspection.

I found a drop of oil coming off the bottom of the rear shock.

[KeithR]

Great looking bike.....gotta love that Black.....

 

My brother just had a set of Avon's installed on his Honda VTX1300 and in order to get a front from Avon they recommended a tire and that it be installed in reverse......

 

Enjoy the ride !!

 

Keith

[skydoc_17]

Hey Art,

Welcome to the forum, you will get tons of good info here! Nice scoot, by the way!

First off, let me say that you could spend a LOT of time comparing a First Gen to a Second Gen., They are different bikes for sure. Now to a few of your questions,

The being pushed around by the wind is an issue many Second Gen. owners talk about,

you might try different tire pressure changes to try to minimize this affect but the bottom line on that is..."it is what it is". About the rear tire on the front, The rear Elite III is a six ply tire and the extra two plys make for a firmer sidewall, so there is less sidewall flex at low speed. The extra plys also contribute to longer tire life. I think Dunlop makes an excellent tire for the Venture, many people like the Avons. I consider tires to be a personal decision, based on tire life and how they allow the bike to perform compared to my riding style. About the seat, There is a member here, Rick Butler that does a "mod" to the stock seat that almost all Second Gen. owners Rave about called the "butt butler". You could try doing a search for threads related to that or start a post asking people that have had the mod to give you some feedback. About the pipes, The availability of aftermarket exhausts for the Second Gens. is a lot deeper then for the First Gens., The HD Road Kings can be made to fit easily and have been touted as a good blend of deep sound and good performance without being "Too Loud". There are others like the "Nasty Boyzs" but you are getting into the holy cow, that was loud range. Again, sound from your scoot is a personal preference, I run Jardines, most think they are too loud, I love them! Of course I'm also about half deaf! My suggestion would be to attend a few meet and eats, ride with some Venture owners and check out their bikes and the mods they have done, it's a lot cheaper than buying a bunch of stuff that doesn't suit your tastes.

My final suggestion would be to "ask questions!" If you have discovered something that is working for you, talk about it! If you are struggling with an issue on your scoot, complain about it! Others will post and describe what they have done to solve the problem or what they have changed to git rid of the problem.

Thanks for sharing the pics of your "new to you" scoot!

Earl and Jean

[E-Fishin-C]

Since I know longer have a Venture.... I shouldnt Bee...Itch .....Yah Right ..You always wanted a Harley and you got one....... an Imitation one

 

 

 

Ps Nice scoot

[Guest Boomerbiker]

We talk about the idiosyncrasies of the 2nd gen incessantly on this site. Kind of like the crazy aunt in the attic. I am on my second second gen and I won't bore you with what happened to the first one. Just returned from a 6 day 3600 mile trip from Michigan to the Rockies and Grand Tetons returning via the Black Hills. I have used Avon Venoms since day 1 including the smaller front tire, having swapped out the Brickstones at time of purchase. The front tire has 22,000 miles on it with decent tread remaining. I'm on the second rear tire. The transmission whine is not endemic to all the bikes. Mine does not have it. I have also been in some high cross winds and found the beast to be quite stable. The steering head bearing is a little loose after the long trip and I will be addressing that shortly along with the carbs being a little off. Maybe there was some ethanol in the Kansas gas that I was unaware of.

 

As a neophyte and wanna' be mechanic, I have come to marvel at the rock solid reliability of the Venture. I am sold, though, on ABS and would like to see some other improvements including fuel injection, better OEM gauges, tire pressure monitoring, etc. We will be talking about that until it happens.

[Squeeze]

Dang Joe, I just went and looked at that and that looks simple enough.

I'll be putting her on a lift tonight to see if she needs it.

 

I got to put her up anyway so I can give her a good inspection.

I found a drop of oil coming off the bottom of the rear shock.

 

 

Congrats on the new Scoot and if you work on the Steering please read here ...

 

[ame=http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38086]Steering Neck Bearings - VentureRider.Org[/ame]

 

It's important to open the Pinch Bolts on the lower Fork Yoke before tightening the Bearing.

 

Don needs to include this in the Write-Up some Day.

[ArticusMedicus]

Since I know longer have a Venture.... I shouldnt Bee...Itch .....Yah Right ..You always wanted a Harley and you got one....... an Imitation one

 

 

 

Ps Nice scoot

 

A Harley?? Why on god's green earth would you want one of those....

 

HAHA Thanks for all the complements folks!

[SilvrT]

Regarding the wandering ... check your air pressure in the tires and bump them up a couple pounds and see what that does. It helped mine.

 

heh ... yup, keeping these "black beauties" clean is a never ending chore. I hate a dirty bike and black has to be the worst color for easilly looking dirty IMHO. I am dusting/polishing/cleaning this sukkah constantly!

 

I agree with the "monkey butt" .... after a long ride, my tailbone tends to get a wee bit sore, after the numbness disappears LOL. I think I'm going to do some seat modifications PDQ!

[ArticusMedicus]

Congrats on the new Scoot and if you work on the Steering please read here ...

 

Steering Neck Bearings - VentureRider.Org

 

It's important to open the Pinch Bolts on the lower Fork Yoke before tightening the Bearing.

 

Don needs to include this in the Write-Up some Day.

 

OK you lost me on that one...I guess I'll be doing some reading.

[ArticusMedicus]

Found another little item that is driving me nuts....

 

How long will it take before I start putting my feet on the floor boards and not trying to put them under my hips??

[SilvrT]

Found another little item that is driving me nuts....

 

How long will it take before I start putting my feet on the floor boards and not trying to put them under my hips??

 

it will take as long as it takes to train your mind ... for me, that's usually quite a long time :rotf:

 

The next training session is getting used to the heel-toe shifting....

 

Oh, and then if you install highway pegs, training is required again to stop from hitting it with your foot when coming to a stop to put your foot on the ground. crap, I've almost dumped the scoot a half dozen times because of that

[Squeeze]

it will take as long as it takes to train your mind ... for me, that's usually quite a long time :rotf:...

 

Well, i thought you already lost a Lot when you decided to get a 2Gen ... and the Rest when the 1Gen was sold ... :bowdown::bowdown:

[SilvrT]

Well, i thought you already lost a Lot when you decided to get a 2Gen ... and the Rest when the 1Gen was sold ... :bowdown::bowdown:

 

ain't that the truth eh? thankfully I still have some left tho :rotf:

[Yammer Dan]

ain't that the truth eh? thankfully I still have some left tho :rotf:

 

 

Still working on Boards, heel toe shifter and bigger brake pedal on "Ugly" Got everything to change it to stock and those boards bring a good price...

[Squeeze]

ain't that the truth eh? thankfully I still have some left tho :rotf:

 

Well, it doesn't help in getting used to those Floorboards .... :crackup:

 

Still working on Boards, heel toe shifter and bigger brake pedal on "Ugly" Got everything to change it to stock and those boards bring a good price...

 

Now, what are you waiting for, Riding Season will come to an End sooner or later and you won't get a good Dollar off Season ...

[ArticusMedicus]

Heel & toe, no problem. Learned about that REAL fast. Popped down to third when I was wanting fifth...Scared the snake snot out of me!!!

 

I'm already used to highway pegs... Had those on the 84.

 

I am just so used to having my feet under my hips.

 

I did catch my pant leg in the Heel shifter the other night, just about dropped the dang thing.

 

I really hope I don't do anything stupid and scratch my bike:scratchchin:

[Yammer Dan]

Heel & toe, no problem. Learned about that REAL fast. Popped down to third when I was wanting fifth...Scared the snake snot out of me!!!

 

I'm already used to highway pegs... Had those on the 84.

 

I am just so used to having my feet under my hips.

 

I did catch my pant leg in the Heel shifter the other night, just about dropped the dang thing.

 

I really hope I don't do anything stupid and scratch my bike:scratchchin:

 

Caught a new pair of jeans on shifter once. Jeans now have a hole in them!! I WAS PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN!!!

 

 

 

 

 

That Signature is :rotfl:

 

Signature below needs No explaining!!

[SilvrT]

 

I'm already used to highway pegs... Had those on the 84.

 

 

I did too but the ones I have on my '06 are positioned different and I rest my heel on the floorboard and my toe on the peg ... I find that the most comfortable ... so when I go to stop, I had to train myself to move my foot back a bit before planting it on the ground otherwise I'd catch the end of the peg in the process ... LOL

 

I really hope I don't do anything stupid and scratch my bike:scratchchin:

 

Why? everyone else does! You can't be different!

 

(I ain't tellin my stoopid thing)

[LilBeaver]

Something else to check while you are doing all of the front end investigation is to make sure you have the same amount of air in both forks. The max is 7psi so be real careful when adding. If you do not have a zero-loss hand pump I would suggest letting all of the air both forks just to make sure.

This is not necessarily directly related to the wandering that you were describing but it does contribute to the overall handling of the bike that IS noticeable. (That and it is a quick thing to check while you are doing everything else).

 

Congrats on the new scoot, it is good looking!

(Good luck keeping it clean :-P )

[1BigDog]

Hey Art, you mentioned getting extra wind on you compared to the first gen. Looking at your pics it looks like you dont have the fork deflectors on your bike. They block off a pretty good amount of wind. Might be where your extra wind is coming from.