1st Gen new rider experience

[nonextant]

Well, I broke down and bought a 1st Gen 1984 Venture this summer. My previous bike was a BMW R1100RT-P.

 

Here are my experiences with the new ride as compared to the old one.

 

When I rode the bike home I noticed quite a bit of pulling to one side or the other. It was very influence by grooves or creases/cracks in the pavement, enough to be quite scary. I checked the air in the tires and found them to be low, so I filled the to the spec'ed amount. Now the bike will is still affected by grooves but not nearly as bad. to hard pull to either side, though once in a while the bike wants to "sway" from side to side while driving on the highway. Feels kinda like you have a rear passenger leaning from one side to the other.

 

Compared to the BMW the ride is a lot "looser?" much softer and less precise. One advantage to the Venture... I can ride on dirt roads now. It was terrifying on the BMW as the bike constantly felt like it wanted to fall over.

 

Brake.... ok on the venture. Far superior on the BMW. I miss ABS. and the funky front suspension on the Beemer totally eliminated nose dive during heavy braking.

 

Power... here it's a toss up. The Venture feels more powerful with a more pleasing exhaust tone. The BMW WAS faster, just didn't feel like it was. especially at 75MPH.. The venture will get there, but the BMW would get there quickly and was more than happy to keep going from there. The venture's throttle doesn't seem as responsive above 65 as the RT's does.

 

Comfort... One word... heated hand grips... the RT has 'em, the Venture doesn't. The venture seat is far more comfortable than the RT's. I put a Sargent seat on the RT and It was acceptable, but still not as good. I love the backrest on the Venture, and the handlebars are at a more comfortable position. I still want to pull them back a bit farther, but I don't get the pain between my shoulderblades that I would after a long ride on the RT.

 

Wind Protection... The venture has very good wind protection. I seem to get more wind hitting me in the back than on the RT, but that's the only place I get hit. On the RT even with the windshield fully upright I would get some buffeting on the top of my helmet. I do miss the electric adjustable windshield on the RT as on a hot day, I don't get enough wind on my helmet to keep my head cool and have to ride with my visor up. Wind protection on the rest of my body is about the same.

 

Gadgetry and places to put stuff. The venture has a lot more storage. The BMW had more power outlets. I have not james bonded the venture out yet. The BMW had Satellite radio, radar detector and Ipod mount on a shelf above the gauges. Have not seen a good way to build a shelf on the venture. The BMW also had a table PC running Copilot Live Laptop GPS software on a ram mount attached between the handlebars. I could probably come up with a mounting solution on the Venture but It will require some fabrication. I do not have a stereo on the venture yet and am still trying to decide how to set it up. I know I want AM/FM, Ipod, GPS Audio and CB (selectable through the bike speakers or through a headset) and I want Intercom with the passenger with the passenger being able to listen to her own ipod instead of what I'm listening to. I havent found a system that can do this, so I'll have to design my own. The BMW also generated more electricity to power all of the goodies.

 

Looks... The BMW was ugly, but in a good way. The venture looks good but really dated. I think getting rid of the two tone paint and updating the headlight would work wonders here.

 

Maintenance... The BMW needed regular oil changes... that's it. noting else needed. The Venture ran well when I got it, The I ran a carb cleaner through it. It started leaking fuel down the rear shock at idle. I pulled of the aircleaner and cleaned the carbs, fixed the leak but then I got a lot of backfires and carb "popping". Then the leak came back. I pulled off the airbox and cleaned carbs again, I noticed that I didn't have the two rubber hoses connected. (also noticed the RPMs would drop when I sprayed Carb cleaner in the left carbs but wouldn't when I sprayed the right side... not sure what that's about) Got everything reconnected and the bike runs great.

 

Passenger... Wife is much more comfortable on the Venture. I miss her hugging on me now that she has a back rest, but at least we don't bang helmets when I change gears now. When coming to a stop or "walking the bike", the passenger footpegs are positioned such that I am always hitting her feet with my calves.. wasn't a problem on the BMW.

 

All in all, I am very happy with the Venture especially given the price difference between it and the RT. I may still buy a second bike for commuting to work and save the big tourer for rides with the wife. Maybe a single seat BMW R1200C.

[buddy]

Welcome Nonextant,

 

As for your sway?What brand of tire you have,some brand of tires are junk when it comes to groves in the road or road snakes,best tires for this is Avon am41 am42 - Dunlop Elite 3 -Michellin Commanders - Dunlop Elite 2 if any left-are the Ones I love most.

 

Also check your swingarm bearings,if not adjusted right the swingarm will allow the rear tire to roam around like a drunk peson sitting behind you.The adjuster for this is behind the right passenger foot bracket assembly.You will see a big nut with a allen head bolt,loosen nut up and turn the bolt in untill you get a snug fit,retighten nut and see if this helps any.

 

Being a 84 might be best to go in and regrease all you swingarm beargings - bushings - check wheel bearings - lube drive line assembly.

 

As for being fast The 83-85 Venture's jump right out there with the others real easy.My 83 if I push it really hard I could easily pull the front tire off the ground,0-70 in a heart beat.Plus being a bullet proof motor ,these babies will go over 200,000 miles if taken care of.

 

Your carbs. sounds as if you have a vacuum leak ,best thing is to pull them out and clean them out good also check your gas tank for rust this will cause the carbs to leak fuel too.

 

list goes on and you will get pleanty of help here too.

Welcome to the Family.

 

I know it does not sound good maintance that is,but its worth it really it is.

We just came back from Eureka Springs Ark. meet, and the bike did excellent for us.Best ride I ever had.Two up pulling a trailer doing 75mph down freeway 40-42 mpg.

 

buddy

[mother]

with a little tender loving care, you will love this machine.

the swaying could also be the steering head bearings, when i took mine apart to check, the upper taper roller bearing was toast. the rollers were oval and not a drop of grease to be found. the bottom one was okay but i replaced both upper and lower.

i also installed front progressive springs and it made a world of difference to the front end, the ride is excellent now.

like "Buddy" said take the rear swingarm apart this winter and clean and grease all pivots, it was a lot easier than i thought it was going to be. there is an article somewhere in tech section on how to install grease nipples, which i also did while i had it apart.

i have loaded up my handlebars with drinkholder, GPS mount, and i am thinking about adding heated grips.

this site will help you along the way, any questions throw them on the forum and you will get answers from experienced guys and gals.

cheers, Scott

[BradT]

Wow nice comparison. A lot of thought in that. Congratulations on the new to you bike, and welcome to the Family.

 

I would think the Steering head Bearing should be checked as well. (there is a nice write up on this here).

 

Also Buddy forgot to mention, if all is working good, this engine likes to rev. Some will run this engine way up into the red line (eh Charlie and 86er).

 

Something does not seem right based on the comment on the carb cleaner. Suggest running a few tanks with Seafoam in it or take them off and tear them apart, they are 23 years old and yah never know when or if this was done.

 

Best of Luck

 

Brad

[oldandcrotchety]

"As for being fast The 83-85 Venture's jump right out there with the others real easy.My 83 if I push it really hard I could easily pull the front tire off the ground,0-70 in a heart beat."

 

Really? I don't find mine to be much quicker or faster than my old harley superglide. A little maybe. especially in cooler weather. the hotter the outside temperature, the weaker my bike gets. when it is around 100 degrees my venture is pretty gutless. I might orta check my diaphrams, (when I can afford to replace them if they are bad). I know my mufflers are almost pure white inside, not tan.

[Guest Swifty]

...

"As for being fast The 83-85 Venture's jump right out there with the others real easy.My 83 if I push it really hard I could easily pull the front tire off the ground,0-70 in a heart beat."

Really?

you bet your boots, old man.

I don't find mine to be much quicker or faster than my old harley superglide.

wow, I sympathize for your pain.

....

[a1bummer]

Ya, I can get my front up in first,:whistling:then again in second.

[Guest goldv4rider]

Two other things that will tighten up the ride on first gens are a super brace on the frount forks and solid motor mounts.Check your fork brace,mine was lose when I got my bike.

[Squidley]

Just for reference, a properly tuned 1st gen WILL scare the hell out of you. How old was your Beemer? I have had my 1st gens with the wheel off the ground both in 1st and 2nd gear, so there is plenty of power, you just have to get yours tuned right. Remember to keep in mind that your talking about a 20+ year old machine, there are lots of upgrades if you want gadgets. Enjoy new to you ride and check in often

[mini-muffin]

You can get the front wheel off the ground in more then 1st and 2nd gear. Ask Lowell, he told muffinman all about it.

 

Margaret

[SilvrT]

I won't comment about the things to check coz it's already been said. I'm wondering tho... what year of bike was your beemer?

 

oops... almost didn't say... "Welcome to our family!"

[Guest Vermincelli]

I'll 2nd the superbrace.

Mine wandered when I started rebuilding her. First things replaced was a monster fork brace and progressive springs. I just put on a new set of Avons and the big beast handles better than my FJ1200. She'll flick over in a lane change that would leave some new sport tourers in the dust.

 

As for power, 2nd the tune up. You have the original V4 that they took from the Venture and put into the Vmax. for an 800lb bike, it will do a 12.5 second quarter mile with about a 135mph top end, quicker with mods.

 

I had to install power outlets but with the battery right under the fake tank cover, wiring is a snap. For GPS and other goodies there are many places to mount them. (handlebars, side covers, center tank cover) it's all up to where you want things placed. I've put an indash CD car deck into mine for tunes.

 

for being a 23 year old bike it's still a hell of a runner and I get all kinds of compliments from newer bike owners.

[soldierboy]

I'll second the comments that the 1st Gen will scare the crap out of you. I have an 84, first bike, had a tailgater one day on the freeway that woudl change lanes with me as I tried to manuevar away from him, I decided to down shift and get some space. OMG the old girl about thru me off, thank god for the back rest, I had only been riding for week when this happened. I now stretch her legs regulary, one thing I will mention is tires. I changed out my Dunlop elit 2's for Continental-tour's. I no longer feel the girl getting wiggly on grooved road surfaces and she corners like a race car now.

 

I stole her for $1000 w/44K on it, I've got 7K on it already this summer. My only question to myself is this: WHY DIDNT YOU GET ONE SOONER!!!!!!!