My Journey to get a Venture (adVenture?)

[First_N_Last]

John,

Save the plane ticket and Come up to Fredericksburg I'll give you a ride up to OH then Now there is and ADDVENTURE:scared:

 

Congrats on your new bike. If you need any help with it Give me a call. Also keep an eye on the meet & eats we usually have a couple of VA members attend them.

 

 

Thanks Duke, but I have already bought a non-refundable discount ticket. that is why it is so cheap. It would have been great to add to the trip!

 

Darn

[First_N_Last]

Ok - I guess I'm invisible

 

 

Do you want an excuse to ride to Adventure HD?

 

I would appreciate a visual check of the bike & tires. Let me know... never mind, I'll call you tonight.

 

johnb

[First_N_Last]

Becareful on your ride home, and you made a great choice.

 

Gregg

 

Why are Harley dealers afraid to put a metric bike out frount????

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Maybe it is... no, I don't know.

 

Some don't, but they seem to be the small dealers with a small building. The really big dealers always seem to tuck them away in a rear storage area.

 

Your guess is a good as mine.

[Hummingbird]

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Maybe it is... no, I don't know.

 

Some don't, but they seem to be the small dealers with a small building. The really big dealers always seem to tuck them away in a rear storage area.

 

Your guess is a good as mine.

 

Actually - Adventure Harley bought another dealership and they send all their trades to that store. It's just a few miles away. If they had this '08' on the Harley floor, it must have been a really nice bike.

[Hummingbird]

Do you want an excuse to ride to Adventure HD?

 

I would appreciate a visual check of the bike & tires. Let me know... never mind, I'll call you tonight.

 

johnb

 

Where's the bike at ?? In Dover or New Phila ?

[First_N_Last]

This area

 

Thanks for posting map from Akron to Dover:thumbsup:

[First_N_Last]

Do you want an excuse to ride to Adventure HD?

 

I would appreciate a visual check of the bike & tires. Let me know... never mind, I'll call you tonight.

 

johnb

 

 

Lots of people have given help, recommendations, suggestions, etc. The people on this website are GREAT!

 

Thanks to you all!

Thanks to Riderduke for offering a ride from Frederecksburg, VA to Dover,OH. (already had a non-refundable Airplane ticket)

 

Special thanks to Adventure 1943

You are supper for...

 

• offer to give me a ride from Akron to Dover dealership
  
• great info on Kumo tires
  
• going to the dealer & giving the bike a quick once over
  - report that tires are near end-of-life
  
• great conversation on the phone (start of a friendship)
  
• Wife says "Thanks" for making her feel more relaxed about the Akron-Dover trip & for the check of the bike
  

This is a great experience for me, a new user to this site.

 

To all other new site users, don't be afraid to start or comment on topics here. The members are great.

Edited October 30, 2009 by First_N_Last

[LilBeaver]

...

 

To all other new site users, don't be afraid to start or comment on topics here...

 

Better watch it you may get more than you bargained for!!

[LilBeaver]

Seriously though, welcome and as part of an unwritten rule here, when you get your bike posted pictures are a must!!

 

I'm sure you'll love it Good luck, have fun, be safe etc.

 

Gdspeed,

- Rick

[First_N_Last]

Well, Advventure 1943 (Richard) scouted out my bike & took pictures of the rear tire.

I will need to get one very soon.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs075.snc3/14264_1242152167643_1044481842_1617414_7815516_n.jpg

 

Scary isn't it!

[MidlifeVenture]

How many miles are one that tire?

[First_N_Last]

How many miles are one that tire?

 

I don't know how many miles are on the tire...

 

The bike has 21,086.

[Riderduke]

when riding back keep an eye on it. If it gets much worse give me a shout I'll come and get you!

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I think before I rode 450-500 miles on an unfamiliar bike, in iffy weather, at high speeds, on THAT tire, I'd have the dealer or SOMEONE put a new tire on it.

 

Whats a bargain worth if you have a flat or blowout or worse...and end up in a ditch?

 

I have had a catastrophic failure at hiway speed on the rear tire of a Venture once....and so have some others on this website. You wont like it.

 

[First_N_Last]

when riding back keep an eye on it. If it gets much worse give me a shout I'll come and get you!

 

thanks RiderDuke... i will watch it & call for help if needed. It looks like a solid tire that is near THE END OF LIFE. It might have been run with a little too high of air pressure.

[First_N_Last]

I think before I rode 450-500 miles on an unfamiliar bike, in iffy weather, at high speeds, on THAT tire, I'd have the dealer or SOMEONE put a new tire on it.

 

Whats a bargain worth if you have a flat or blowout or worse...and end up in a ditch?

 

I have had a catastrophic failure at hiway speed on the rear tire of a Venture once....and so have some others on this website. You wont like it.

 

Thanks for the thoughts. I had plans to send a new tire to the dealer, but they don't touch non-Harleys... so I'm shopping for a replacement & will change it when I get home. Once more, this is part of the AddVenture. Actually much less riskj than other things i do on vacations. I'll check the tire for pressure changes as I ride. Venture 1943 offered to get it changed as my proxy, but I don't want to annoy Adventure Harley. Too many legal things there. I don't want to have another tire failure either.

 

I will be careful & thanks for your info.

[Yamaman]

they don't touch non-Harleys...

 

Changing a tire is changing a tire. What difference does it make what kind of bike it is?

 

I too bought my RSV out of town from a Harley dealer. I was assured over the phone that the tires were good but when I got there I was disappointed in their condition, especially the rear. I simply told them that if they wanted to sell the bike, they would replace the rear tire. If not, I was outta there. I only had 80 miles to ride, but I sure wasn't going to do it on an unfamiliar bike with a bad tire.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

In this litigious world, if I was the manager or owner of that shop, I would not let a bike roll out in that condition. Too many lawyers would LOVE to take the case of a defective tire causing a crash on a bike they knowingly sold in that condition. Be careful what you sign.

 

I assume there there HAS to be a metric or independent shop somewhere around the area. I'd look into it.

 

However, since my first caution was dismissed, I'll make this my last advisory. Take pics, ride slow, dont brake hard, and stay off wet pavement.

 

Good luck.

[First_N_Last]

Well, Advventure 1943 (Richard) scouted out my bike & took pictures of the rear tire.

I will need to get one very soon.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs075.snc3/14264_1242152167643_1044481842_1617414_7815516_n.jpg

 

Scary isn't it!

 

Well I have managed to identify the tire make.

It is a Bridgestone Exedra G702 Street Tire

 

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Changing a tire is changing a tire. What difference does it make what kind of bike it is?

 

 

Many Harley dealers will not touch ANY other bikes other than Harleys. This includes metric bikes, Indians, customs, trikes, or any anything else they dont sell. I have a friend who could not get a rear tire changed at a HD dealership when he rode in on an Indian, which was almost a clone of an EVO Softail. Same drive system, same nuts and bolts, same size tires, and the same tools are used. Except for the Indian graphics, name on the tank, and the little Indian head on the front fender, it essentially IS a Harley Softail. But they would not touch it. Sent him to an independent shop in the next town.

 

Not unlike some metric dealerships wont touch, say, a Cushman Scooter, or a VW trike. Many HD dealers are afraid of damage, customer objections, mechanic objections, and well, you know...the attitude is sometimes: "We dont work on jap crap"...whatever. Dont try to fight it..just deal with it and move on.

[wes0778]

If the dealer was not forthcoming about the rear tire, what else could be waiting to "pop-up"? I don't remember if this bike was a real "steal" like I got from an individual, but since this is a dealer, I would let him know the rear tire is a deal breaker! If they won't change the tire, they could TAKE IT to someone that would.

 

Another thought, if they don't work on "other" bikes, has it been serviced? Have they done anything to check it over? Are the brake pads in the same shape as the tire?

 

BTW the bike I drove 480 miles to pick up had a tire in about this shape. In my estimation it would not have made it home without wearing into the cord, and yes it was raining the day I went after it. I trailered it home, and glad I did!

IMHO there is no way in H**L that I would pick up a strange bike, dealer or not, and ride away on a 500 mile trip by myself.

just my

 

I'll sit down now

Edited October 31, 2009 by wes0778
spelling

[FreezyRider]

If the dealer was not forthcoming about the rear tire, what else could be waiting to "pop-up"? I don't remember if this bike was a real "steal" like I got from an individual, but since this is a dealer, I would let him know the rear tire is a deal breaker! If they won't change the tire, they could TAKE IT to someone that would.

 

Another thought, if they don't work on "other" bikes, has it been serviced? Have they done anything to check it over? Are the brake pads in the same shape as the tire?

 

BTW the bike I drove 480 miles to pick up had a tire in about this shape. In my estimation it would not have made it home without wearing into the cord, and yes it was raining the day I went after it. I trailered it home, and glad I did!

IMHO there is no way in H**L that I would pick up a strange bike, dealer or not, and ride away on a 500 mile trip by myself.

just my

 

I'll sit down now

 

Bought my 99 in June....850 miles away from home. Rode her home in 2 days, stopped in St Louis to meet up with a couple of VR members at the end of the first day. Minor glitches with lighting/wiring once, but otherwise a great ride home.

This was actually the 2nd time I've done that....bought far away without seeing it and rode it home. Call me a sucker, but I live my life the old fashioned way....I trust other people by default, unless they do something to prove me wrong. It really lessens the stress of life to do that. Maybe I'll get burned someday in a big way, but I don't worry about it.

 

BTW, my 2 day solo ride on that strange bike was one of the highlight rides of the year.

[Freebird]

You'll have a great adventure and it brings back fond memories of times that I have done the same. My last such adventure was when I bought my '86 Harley FXRD. I had seen some very good pictures of it so knew that it was a nice and well-maintained bike. I jumped on an airplane and flew from Dallas to Tulsa, OK. Not all that far but still fun. The owner of the bike picked me up at the airport and took me to his house. A good inspection of the bike and a short test ride was all I needed to confirm that the bike was in the pristine condition that he had represented it to be. I paid him, grabbed the title and headed home.

 

It was a great time and a wonderful experience. The only issue that I had was the horn bracket breaking and the horn falling off. Didn't lose it as it was held by the wires but it did scratch the front fender just a bit when it fell off. No big deal though.

 

I hope you have as positive an experience as I did. I would inspect the tire very well and if you feel comfortable with it, take off and have a great time. Heck...it's a Bridgestone...most of us would replace it when we got home even if it was NEW.

[First_N_Last]

Hi Freebird;

 

Yes, I'll just look the tire over for casing stress cracks & regularity (no bulges or swerve). If I decide it's OK, off I go. If I think it is a gamble to ride it, I will find a shop to change it on the way home & stay overnight if I have to.

 

My last travel-to-pickup bike was fun too. That bike's only problem was jetting. The low end torque was gone. The previous owner had put damn near straight-through cobras on it with no jetting. I had to start/shift it like a sport bike.

 

As for the Bridgestone... yes it is crap... Can't decide between a Michelin or Kumho for a replacement. The only reason for not deciding on a Kumho, is "Can I find someone to mount it near Richmond?

[Hummingbird]

As for the Bridgestone... yes it is crap... Can't decide between a Michelin or Kumho for a replacement. The only reason for not deciding on a Kumho, is "Can I find someone to mount it near Richmond?

 

John - I already told have I an extra Kumho sitting in the garage. If your uncomfortable with what's on it now, I have a MC tire shop within 10 minutes of my home. We can put my Kumho you bike for the cost of the tire and probably $10 or so to mount it. We can take the wheel off here at my place and run it over to him, that'll save a few bucks.

 

I'm going to call him right now to see if he'll be around on the 7th. If he can't be available I have a back-up installer. We'll get it done one way or another.