Top heavy ?

[RWITT]

I'm planning on getting a 1986-1993 Venture.I used to ride a 2005 HD road king.Does anyone know how they would compare top heavy wise.I was use to the road king but had to be careful when riding double and stopping on steep inclines.Also how about the handling.I want a bike that is happy in the mountain curves.

[WilCruise]

Venture will feel more top heavy at stop or very slow. Get out of first gear and a 1st gen Venture will blow away 98% of HDs in mountain curves.

[MiCarl]

The 1st generation Ventures are "sport touring" motorcycles. They eat up the twisties.

[Yammer Dan]

Venture will feel more top heavy at stop or very slow. Get out of first gear and a 1st gen Venture will blow away 98% of HDs in mountain curves.

 

99.9%

[FROG MAN]

Dan you should of added a few more 9's there. Why is it my fuel economy drops to about 100 miles per tank when we ride? I better be quiet Warden might be reading this.

[hipshot]

I'm planning on getting a 1986-1993 Venture.I used to ride a 2005 HD road king.Does anyone know how they would compare top heavy wise.I was use to the road king but had to be careful when riding double and stopping on steep inclines.Also how about the handling.I want a bike that is happy in the mountain curves.

 

apples compared to oranges!

the mark II ventures are THE MOST TOP HEAVY BIKES on the market, now or EVER!

practice in a deserted parking lot for a few hours, and you WILL throw rocks at all Harleys!

just jt

[Guest seuadr]

apples compared to oranges!

the mark II ventures are THE MOST TOP HEAVY BIKES on the market, now or EVER!

practice in a deserted parking lot for a few hours, and you WILL throw rocks at all Harleys!

just jt

nah, the concours i tried was more of a lunker at slow speeds than the venture has ever been, at least for me. the couple older goldwings i've ridden felt more top heavy as well.

 

top heavy compared to a harley? yes.

 

most top heavy bike EVER? hardly.

[bongobobny]

They are a tall bike and topheavy at low speeds, but no where near as top heavy as a 2nd gen! Experience talking here.

 

Once you get used to the geometry of the bike you may never want to go back to HD, especially 2 up. They are one of the most comfortable bikes around and yes, the 1st gens have a heart of a sport bike!!!

[Yammer Dan]

Dan you should of added a few more 9's there. Why is it my fuel economy drops to about 100 miles per tank when we ride? I better be quiet Warden might be reading this.[/QUO

 

 

 

Must be something in the air!!!

[yamahale]

You want top heavy, push an ST1100 or 1300 in and out of the dealership every day lol

[syscrusher]

If your Venture Gen 1.2 is unladen it will be no more top heavy than any adventure touring type motorcycle.

As long as the top box is empty the bike shouldn't truly feel top heavy compared to most bikes intended for two-up riding.

The fuel is stored lower than for most bikes, the engine is not a top heavy design, and the seat height isn't awfully tall.

The battery is up high and the frame mounted fairing is a little higher than most bikes.

Get a LIPO battery for better starts and much lighter weight and learn to love the fairing.

[Condor]

If your Venture Gen 1.2 is unladen it will be no more top heavy than any adventure touring type motorcycle.

As long as the top box is empty the bike shouldn't truly feel top heavy compared to most bikes intended for two-up riding.

The fuel is stored lower than for most bikes, the engine is not a top heavy design, and the seat height isn't awfully tall.

The battery is up high and the frame mounted fairing is a little higher than most bikes.

Get a LIPO battery for better starts and much lighter weight and learn to love the fairing.

 

[BlueSky]

apples compared to oranges!

the mark II ventures are THE MOST TOP HEAVY BIKES on the market, now or EVER!

practice in a deserted parking lot for a few hours, and you WILL throw rocks at all Harleys!

just jt

 

I owned a 2004 Kawasaki Concours for a couple years and it is the most top heavy bike ever created. The 89 VR I have now is not even close to being as top heavy as the Concours. The Concours had a 7.5 gallon gas tank mounted on top. If you go to the ConcoursOwnersGroup.org site you will see they have a section where owners tell of the times they dropped their bikes.

[dna9656]

Agreed. I have a Yamaha Road Star, more or less a Harley knock off, it doesn't corner worth a damn, it is lower and easier to handle when using feet to hold the bike up (turning when parking) The Venture is also even harder when riding 2 up ESPECIALLY if you have 30" inseam like me. I had the seat thinned a little to get me closer to the ground, now I can put both feet on the ground. The bike was actually too tall for me but nothing rides and goes like she does!

 

 

They are a tall bike and topheavy at low speeds, but no where near as top heavy as a 2nd gen! Experience talking here.

 

Once you get used to the geometry of the bike you may never want to go back to HD, especially 2 up. They are one of the most comfortable bikes around and yes, the 1st gens have a heart of a sport bike!!!

[Great White]

Wow, thread dig from 2010!

 

 

I am that "sport bike guy" that recently switched over because I can't ride for long on them anymore.

 

is the Venture top heavy? That's kind of a matter of perspective.

 

Compared to some of the bikes I've had, sure. It's a little top heavy.

 

But it's nothing I can't manage, even if it starts to go over. I actually had that fight in the garage this morning; got off center and started to go but I muscled it back up. Got to about 30-35 degrees from vertical. Was a bit of a fight, but it is an 800-ish lb bike. Luckily, I was beside it pushing it around so I could get both legs and butt/hip into it. Had I been astride, 30 degrees of lean could have likely been unrecoverable.

 

Low speed requires you to have some experience before heading out. It's not going to fall over at every stop but you need to practice low speed maneuvering as it has a few "quirks" you need to get used too. But that's the same for any bike, they all handle a little differently.

 

One of of the first things I did on my 83 was head to the empty mall parking lot and slow speed turn/figure 8 until I was comfortable. Then it was trail braking against engine torque for ultra low speed handling. That sucked with the linked brakes, which is one of the reasons I'm converting it back to conventional front/rear brakes this winter. Starts and stops as well as leaning it over to see how far it would go before it got to my point of no return. I'm short (5'9") but stocky, so I can go pretty far over and still save it as long as it doesn't have any significant momentum.

 

Other than the weight, I think it's a great rig!

 

I actually wish I had bought one years ago. It's just that good and it's kind of re-sparked my enjoyment in riding.

 

Comfortable, enough power, decent handling for a full boat touring bike and (these days) unique looks. It was the sport bike crouch combined with my body "unserviceabilities" that was/had sucked the fun out of riding. Sport bikes feel instantly comfortabel when I jump on, I just can stay any more than 15-20 minutes. Because of my messed up wrists mainly.

 

Actually, I don't even mind the Venture's weight as I notice I get pushed around a lot less on highway runs. Not so much from other vehicles, but side winds. Given the large surface area this bike presents to any wind direction, I can only say its the weight that makes it "gust stable". I used to avoid highway blasting on sport bikes at pretty much any cost, but it's actually not bad on the big V with it's weight and tall/wide fairing/windscreen.

 

I would recommend a MKI to anyone except the oldest or smallest riders, with the caveat that they make sure they take the time to learn the bike before getting yourself in traffic or ultra low speed maneuvers.

 

Also, if you are coming to a MKI from anything besides another touring bike with rear crash bars, heed these words:

 

Make absolutely, postively, completely sure you DO NOT drag your feet behind in slow speed maneuvers or taking off from stopped. Make a conscious effort to lift your feet straight up or swing them forward a little.

 

I'm used to letting my feet go rearward from sport bikes and such that lean you forward. Do that on a MKI and the rear crash bars will grab your heel, drive you toes into the pavement and wrench your foot something awful.

 

Don't ask me how I know.

 

Edited June 15, 2015 by Great White

[flyday58]

I'm 157 pounds so the magic number is around 15º and it's on the crash bar. Dropped it twice so far. First time had to go back in the house after getting on the bike, forgot I had put the sidestand up. Second time was after the move to New Mexico, turning around on a forest road. Front wheel went into a mole hole as I turned and klunk! Both times the engine guard saved any damage, and while I couldn't stop the drop, I slowed it enough that the guard didn't even bend.

 

Someone posted a video here a few months back on how to get the bike back up after a drop, and that worked great.

[tankerman]

I'd say that getting comfortable with the bikes clutch friction zone and throttle as well as rear brakes are key to mastering low speed maneuvering on any big bike. Once you get past walking pace the ventures are really good handling rigs for what they are.