New Member introduction and questions.

[sleepcheater]

Hey Peoples,

Looks like a great site.

I'm Emery from Alberta.

The last time I was biking was back in the 80's and the biggest bike I owned was a Honda 750/4 (pardon the language)

I am 67 and wiegh about as much as a rear tire:big-grin-emoticon:

Now I have the bug to go riding again but there may be some problems.

I just bought a 1985 Venture royale 1200. I like it! but it is big and scarry I think? (Its in my garage waiting for me.)

I fit this bike but if I lay it down they may have to burry me with it.

 

Am I biting off more than I can chew?? Wanna go riding long distance with freinds:dancefool:

Any good advice will be appreciated.

Thanks and have a great day, to all those who don't mind me telling them what kind of day to have:thumbsup2:

Edited October 5, 2009 by sleepcheater
!995 to 1985

[Freebird]

The first advice I would give you would be to NOT lay it down. Other than that, I think you will get used to the size pretty quickly. I'm sure others will join in with better responses.

[mini-muffin]

Might I suggest a safety course. Might help build your confidence a bit. The lifting the bike up if it ever went over the guys can help you with. I'm pretty sure you can get out of the way as it goes down, If that should ever happen. There is a way for anyone to pick up these bikes. Other then that hope you enjoy the bike and have many happy and safe miles with her.

 

Margaret

[sleepcheater]

Thanks Margaret;

Safety course of course (pun intended) Good idea!

When I biked last you didn't need a M/C licence, so I need to start over.

 

It's inevitable, once I get her going I'm gonna have to stop somewhere (I think).

Right now thats the scarry part cause I'm a little short at one end.

Cheers!

[Rocket]

It's inevitable, once I get her going I'm gonna have to stop somewhere (I think).

Right now thats the scarry part cause I'm a little short at one end.

Cheers!

 

A good upgrade to the brake system, would to install stainless steel braided flex lines. They make a huge difference & would make a good winter project. The stock flex lines, were supposed to be replaced, every 4 years.

 

BTW didn't you mean an 85 Venture Royale, as that was the last year with the 1200 engine. It is the fastest one, in the Venture family..........

Edited September 30, 2009 by Rocket

[mraf]

Go to a big parking lot and practice awhile. Pretty soon you"ll be smiling. :wel_ani4Tay:

[Eck]

 

Now I have the bug to go riding again but there may be some problems.

 

I fit this bike but if I lay it down they may have to burry me with it.

 

Wanna go riding long distance with freinds

 

 

Rule #1.........DONT HIT THE BIKE IN FRONT OF YOU..!!!!!!!!!!

Rule #2.........Go off by yourself first to get to know the bike and how it handles BEFORE you get into riding with your friends.

Rule #3.....follow rules 1 & 2 and you and your friends will all be OK......

[hunter 1500]

One thing to remember when you start riding with your freinds is to ride your own ride. A lot of people get in trouble by trying to keep with there buddies. They would rather wait at the next intersection than go back a scrape you off the hyway.

[Evan]

A good friend - known as Mother on this forum - lent me a video called Riding Like a Pro by Jerry Palladino. Even though I am your age (in a few weeks) and I have been riding for 45 years, I got a lot from this video. He has one segment in the video about uprighting a bike back up after it goes and in brief, it is all about technique rather than size/strength. He illustrates this by having his wife upright a HD police bike using the technique that he describes.

 

Good luck and enjoy!!

[minnmac]

glad to meet you. here,s my two cents. i,m 6,1 and weigh 205 lbs and i know if i laid it down i,d never get it up by myself. if someone can they,d be a scary dude. once you have it pointed straight it is the easiest thing to handle since baby puppies[had something else in mind but we won,t go there]. just remember you can,t manhandle it like a smaller bike, and watch your balance and footing when turning at slow speeds, to quote wildhair39 '' it can get real heavy, real quick '':clap2:welcome aboard

[Venturous Randy]

If you are pretty light and inseam challenged, you may want to adjust the shock air pressure on the low end. I would start out at about 5psi in the front and 20psi in the back. That is on the low side, but if the bike is not bottoming out, you may even be able to go a little lower. The down side on the low pressure is it makes it harder to get on the center stand.

As noted above, find you an empty parking lot and do a bunch of turns, stops and starts and practice some quick stops to get a feel for what the brakes are capable of. These bikes have the integrated braking system, so when you push on the foot lever, it also brakes the front from the left caliper.

Soon, you will also want to do some red line WOT (wide open throttle) runs. Keep in mind that these bikes were made for rpm's so it ain't gonna hurt it to crank it on some.

As you get into it, don't be afraid to ask questions. There probably is not a question that you can come up with that someone has not experienced before. Also, with it being an 85, what is your serial number? The early ones up to about the 1413 or 1417 range had a soft thrust washer in transmission that caused a problem with 2nd gear. After that, Yamaha fixed the problem.

Keep us posted and we need pictures.

RandyA

[Dano]

Welcome Sleepcheater. Another rule in slow riding is NEVER use the front brake alone. If you are turning and hit the front brake, you will go down. These bikes have a linked rear/front left brake system, operated by the foot pedal. The safest to use in slow riding. After practice, I can turn my bike around in a 180d turn in as little as 12-15 feet.

 

Another thing, slightly previously mentioned-----

 

THESE BIKES ARE FAST! A little un-judicious use of the right hand on the throttle will start you thinking you're a little younger than you are! And leads to periods of euphoria, etc. Just remember that you are who you are and not any younger!

 

How is the maintenance on your bike? Plenty of guys up there to help you out!

 

Dan

[sleepcheater]

WoW!

Some great people here and a lot of experienced information.

To begin with, 1985 is correct the 95 was a typo,(or wishfull thinking?) not sure.

 

This bike is very minty and I realy like it. I am going to take the advice given here to heart.

I will get ser.# and I will post pictures as soon as I get used to the forum.

Used to be a pretty good biker as far as handling one goes. Had some close calls and they were all my fault (nothing serious) but tought me to bring extra shorts, as well as "DON'T DO THAT AGAIN":big-grin-emoticon:

Sitting on the bike today, I noticed I can flat foot it with the bike on a very small degree of lean. If I move forward an inch, I can put both flat feet on the grownd. This might not be a good thing though?

 

Not sure if I can get out and enjoy whats left of the weather with the bike this year:crying:

Got a lot of learning,passing exams(bike licence)to do.

Thank you all again for your concideration and valuable info(keep it comming:happy65:)

Cheers to all,

Emery

[DragonRider]

Since your new, we will give you a break on Rule # 1........you need to post pictures of your bike, especially since you say it is minty, now you either mean it is in showroom condition, or your bike taste like a mint, now I know some really love their bike, but tasting it is really strange, so I take it you mean like new condition...........So let us see some pics of your beautiful bike..........you can add pics to your post by clicking on the manage attachments at the bottom of this thread before you submit it.

 

Welcome to VR and make it to a meet and eat near you, you wont regret it.............we arent just friends here, we are family.

[Aussie Annie]

:wel_ani3Tay: Sleepcheater.........we are all family in here

Braided brake lines (as Eck suggested) is the first thing I did. I returned to riding after a bad accident, and did lots of practice in a car park and rode by myself for awhile -- before putting the bike in a group ride -- that way I felt more confident. I have bung legs now so ride a "Quike" :happy34: My Venture has voyager kit on it AND DON'T FALL OVER!!

 

All the Best

[skydoc_17]

Hey Emery,

Welcome to the group!

Check out this link:

 

http://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html

 

View the pics and at the bottom of the page watch the videos of the lady picking up her bike all by her self. Just knowing that you can right you bike in case of an OOPS! is a very comforting thought. One thing I have learned is "If your bike starts to go over, don't hurt yourself trying to hold it up. Just ease it to the ground, get off, use the lifting method on the website above, lift the bike and get on with your day! It works for me and I am 6' tall but only 180 soaking wet.

Have fun, ride often, get a feel for the bike, THEN go for a ride with friends. You might want to hold off on riding a passenger for a while as well.

Great to meet ya',

Earl

[sleepcheater]

Hi you wanted pictures, here she is.

This bike is way too big for me, gotta get something a wee bit smaller.

Especially between the crotch and the ground:D

Sure hope I'm not in poop for posting them here:8:

[sleepcheater]

Geez! I like this bike dang it.

I wish I could get over this wimpy-ness:225:

Watched the vid and I can pick it up no prob.

Got lots of advice to follow.

Cheers people

[Carbon_One]

Nice bike. Do as the guys say and take your time getting aqquainted with the bike and the way it rides.

Larry

[Ponch]

Welcome, Emory.

There are quite a few members here on both Generations of Ventures who are either weight or height challenged. If you are patient and take time to adjust to your new bike, you will be fine.

I suggest getting the DVD "RideLike A Pro" and practicing the techniques shown in the video. http://www.ridelikeapro.com/

There is a loaner on the board somewhere, or I can loan you mine, but I suggest you buy your own and review it from time to time.

Good Luck! and :BLUE:

Ponch

[Venturous Randy]

Couple of suggestions; You may do better without the driver floorboards, they tend to make you have to spread your feet farther. Try to find you a seat that is lower. I picked up a Corbin that needed some repair and while I had the cover off being fixed, I took about 1 1/2 inches of foam out of my seat, and retucked the cover. How much air are you running in the shocks?

Yes, the behemoths can be a bit intemidating, but you get more used to it and it does get better.

RandyA

[Nemo]

Welcome to this Group! When you come to a stop sign, come to a complete stop because if you may fail to see that oncoming car. Always have the front wheel pointing straight ahead as you come to a stop. If the wheel is pointing off to either direction, that's the direction that you might lay it down. Just be cautious of activity several hundred feet ahead of you. Good Luck, Enjoy - it's a wonderful experience.

[Aussie Annie]

I agree with Randya, lower the seat and maybe get rid of the floorboards - as they do take your feet wider

 

 

OR:

 

Stretch your crutch :rotf::rotfl::rotf:

[Yammer Dan]

How much air you have in the shocks is a biggie. I only keep about 30 lb in the rear and less than 10 in the front. You can get away with a lot less as Randy said. Try about 5 lb in front and 15 to 20 in rear. If Progressive springs have been added to this thing they will pick the front up a lot. Makes a LOT of difference. My 85 handles great. I laid it down once by having it jacked up with too much air. Keep it as low as you can and don't forget to jack it up to about 50 when you want to put it on centerstand.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Yammer Dan

[autopilot]

RE: the short leg thing. Get a good pair of M/C boots. The thicker heels & soles should help...If you need more, have a local shoe repair place build up the sole and heel a little more. It doesn't sound like you need much to get flat-footed with the bike straight up. Obviously, you have the other suggestions about air pressure and seat modification as well.

 

Take the course and practice, practice, practice!!!! Welcome aboard!