2008 Venture performance

[Guest RichG]

Hi all,

I'm looking at a 2008 Venture for 10,900. Has 3,600 miles so it looks brand new.

I borrowed a friend 97 Royal Star and rode it around. The ride is great and it handles nice, but the performance is very sluggish. I'm pretty sure his bike is WAY out of tune though.

I currently ride a Honda VT1100C2 Sabre twin. I'd kind of like the same passing ability I have now along with the smoooooth ride the yahama has

Question is, does any one know the 1/4 mile time and top crusing speed for the 2008 Venture? I don't need a hot rod but I need something that will pull better than the friends Royal Star.

Thanks

Rich

[Kregerdoodle]

If you rode it like your V twin, it is a dog.... REV that puppy out, it will plant your butt in the seat...Not sure of 1/4 ml time but if you ride it like you stole it you will be happy, It will go 120+- at hiway speed,65-70 and you want to pass, drop it in 4th and hammer it. remember 5th is over drive...Ride his again and get into it.

[FreezyRider]

Just a few weeks back I had mine up to 95 in 3rd gear before it touched the rev limiter. And there are 2 more gears above that. How fast do you want to go?

[Guest RichG]

Hi, thanks for the info.

I'd like to be able to cruse at 85 to 90 for 2 to 3 hours on occasion without a strain on the motor. I usually ride at only 65 to 70 because it's more relaxed, but some times I get in a hurry. If it will run 125+ top end, it should do what I need.

I'll have to try dropping the Royal Star into 3rd at 60 to see what it will do.

 

BTW I road with the Patroid Guard a couple of times. It's still tough to handle the fact of a fallen brother.

[ahoutzer]

A 97 Royal Star, assuming that it is near stock, has less power than the Royal Star Venture. The main reason is the air intake. The Venture has two air boxes behind the cowlings in order to let it breathe. The older Royal Stars ace less power because they can't get enough air in.

[Dave77459]

Hi, thanks for the info.

I'd like to be able to cruse at 85 to 90 for 2 to 3 hours on occasion without a strain on the motor. I usually ride at only 65 to 70 because it's more relaxed, but some times I get in a hurry. If it will run 125+ top end, it should do what I need.

I'll have to try dropping the Royal Star into 3rd at 60 to see what it will do.

 

BTW I road with the Patroid Guard a couple of times. It's still tough to handle the fact of a fallen brother.

I have cruised at 80+ mph without any problem, except that my cruise control won't hold faster than 78mph. There's too much error on the speedo. 78 is plenty fast for me, except in West Texas where the speed limit is 80.

 

Dave

[Mel]

I may be wrong, but I think the '97 RoyalStar is somewhat detuned compared to the RSV's. I'm sure someone here knows for sure. If true, the RSV will give you more than you experienced on the '97 RoyalStar. Keep the revs up and both you and the bike will be happy!

 

 

Mel

[hig4s]

I believe Royal Stars prior to 99 had smaller carbs too.

[Guest RichG]

West Texas is exactly what I have in mind when I think 80+ for a couple of hours.

The RS I'm on has had major work done to "make it faster", but it has obviously hurt it. I see the Venture has 97hp @ 6,000. I'm assuming that this is at the crank. My Sabre has 67hp at the crank @ about 5,000 but it's a twin so it has low end torque. 97hp on a bike that's 820lbs yields about .118 hp/lb while 67hp on a 570lb bike is .117 hp/lb. So they should be about the same except the Sabre pulls it at a lower RPM and the Venture carries it out further. Since it's all about torque anyhow, the hp figure is hard to compare.

 

On the other hand, it's a beautifull bike and the RS is extreamly smooth and comfortable. I'm pretty sure I'll get it.

 

It seems the gas milage is only a little less than the smaller Sabre so that's good.

[ahoutzer]

I see you're in Georgia -- at least you are flying the Georgia state flag on your profile. Where exactly are you? I may be nearby.

[Guest RichG]

Hi, I'm in Acworth, GA

[ahoutzer]

Hmmm…

 

2 hours 38 minutes, on the other side of Atlanta, according to maps.google.com . There are probably several ventureriders closer to you than I am. Will one of them speak up?

[Sylvester]

The RSV will do in excess of 130 mph with the rev limiter disconnected. I had mine at 140.334 mph at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Lowe's Motorspeedway now) with the time ticket and radar printout. Go for it, they are great machines. I am still riding the same bike and it now has 120,000 plus miles on it.

 

[Mooseduncan]

I came from a Harley with the TC88, tuned to the tee. When I first bought my RSTD (I bought it about 125 miles from home) I stopped about 20 miles down the road and told my friend who was following me home that I think I made a big mistake, this bike can't get out of it's own way! We talked about everything I had read about the bikes and I figured I'd go against what I knew from the Vtwin and try extending out the throttle between shifts. That is all it took!! I can't imagine riding anything but my RSTD now, I love it!!

[wes0778]

Even with the 67 hp engine, the '97 RS is no mousey motor. Wind it up against the rev limiter (you won't hurt it!!!) in 1st, 2nd and 3rd and it will surprise you!

After 96 in 3rd, I haven't wound on it much in 4th.

[eazyduzzit]

Like everybody says, it will move! I was on a trip last week and we pulled over on the interstate to get something from the saddlebags. When I pulled out, I was up to 90 + in no time and in 3rd gear.

On the way home, we cruised at 80 to 85 for 325 miles. It's a great interstate bike.

[BradT]

A couple 500 mile days cruising at 80 mph + pulling a trailer was not a problem.

 

I little sluggish in mountains out West, but still not a problem.

 

Brad

[MikeWa]

I have a 2008 Venture. It's like a big toy. You have to wind it up and let it go.

Mike

[kartattack]

Magazine tests I have read on the RSV show 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds and 1/4 mile times around 14 secs or high 13s. That isn't Goldwing territory, but it isn't slow. I have cruised for extended periods as fast as the CC would let me (just over 80 indicated) and the motor seems to be just getting to its happy place (sweet spot).

 

As others have said, it isn't a 1800cc V-twin, it is a 1300cc V-4 and you need to rev it. If you shift it by ear like a V-twin, you're getting about 1/2 of the performance it is capable of.

 

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/21january03yamaha03royalstarventure.html

Edited April 24, 2010 by kartattack
added link

[SilvrT]

Magazine tests I have read on the RSV show 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds and 1/4 mile times around 14 secs or high 13s. That isn't Goldwing territory, but it isn't slow. I have cruised for extended periods as fast as the CC would let me (just over 80 indicated) and the motor seems to be just getting to its happy place (sweet spot).

 

As others have said, it isn't a 1800cc V-twin, it is a 1300cc V-4 and you need to rev it. If you shift it by ear like a V-twin, you're getting about 1/2 of the performance it is capable of.

 

Not even into it's "performance" range so less than 1/2.

[kartattack]

I originally wrote 1/3, but thought that was being too stingy. You're probably right. Here's another review that shows 1/4 mile time of 13.97 secs.

 

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/touring_motorcycles_comparison/index.html

[Guest RichG]

KartAttack

The two articles are very good. They show performance the is going to be sufficent. I found another one for sale here and I'm going to look at it also.

Thank you all very much for the information. I feel much more comfotable about the decision now, especially after Mooseduncan's post.

 

Rich

[Guest RichG]

Magazine tests I have read on the RSV show 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds and 1/4 mile times around 14 secs or high 13s. That isn't Goldwing territory, but it isn't slow. I have cruised for extended periods as fast as the CC would let me (just over 80 indicated) and the motor seems to be just getting to its happy place (sweet spot).

 

As others have said, it isn't a 1800cc V-twin, it is a 1300cc V-4 and you need to rev it. If you shift it by ear like a V-twin, you're getting about 1/2 of the performance it is capable of.

 

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/21january03yamaha03royalstarventure.html

 

 

I'm not sure I would want to put it on cruise at much more than 80 anyhow. I get a little nervous when I'm not in control.

[Jerry W]

You can't really compare the older Royal Star to the Venture, I had a '96 Royal Star and currently ride a '06 Venture. The Venture sits quite a bit higher than then Royal Star and the engine produces a lot more power. Look up the stats on both engines showing horsepower and torque, that will answer your performance questions. The handling is also different because of the added height of the Venture.

[kartattack]

KartAttack

The two articles are very good. They show performance the is going to be sufficent. I found another one for sale here and I'm going to look at it also.

Thank you all very much for the information. I feel much more comfotable about the decision now, especially after Mooseduncan's post.

 

Rich

 

You're welcome. Good luck with your choices.