I'm getting tired....

[Freebird]

Well here's my take on it. Yes, you read a lot of problems here but most are either minor or can be corrected. All bikes have the same thing in one way or another. Look back at the first gens even when they were new. There were stator problems, frame problems, gear problems and more. The older Wings had stator problems that required pulling he engines to replace. The new Winds had a problem with frames cracking. The Harley EVO had a problem with base gaskets leaking and the new Twin Cam had problems with the cams and also some of the same tranny whine problem as some complain about with the second gen. As for a track record, my '99 is over 8 years old now so that's not a bad record.

 

As for the size, I owned an '88 Venture and was severely cramped on it. I'm 6' 2" tall and most of that is LEGS. I've never owned, ridden even sat on a bike that is as comfortable as the RSV for riders with long legs.

 

I've look at a lot of bikes since buying my RSV and have not yet seen one that I liked any better. I sort of have an itch for a new bike now but probably won't be buying one anytime soon and if I did, I have no idea what I could buy that I like better. I want to try an Ultra Classic someday but I know they don't have as much room as the RSV.

 

The best testimony I can offer to the RSV on my own behalf is that I have owned literally dozens of cars and motorcycles in my life and have never owned ANYTHING for more than maybe 2 years TOPS. Never thought I would keep any bike as long as I have this one.

[Rich99]

Hey, Jack - I thought I would never hear the day that you were tired of wrenching - or tinkering around - with your (3) or (4)? bikes. Having said that, though, I can understand.

I'm not sure how much you would like the Tour Deluxe - like mine, it is fairly roomy. I was trying to think back to last year when we were at the IMS Show - and you sitting on most of the newer bikes. Seemed to me the only one that 1/2 fit you was the Venture - I don't recall the other new ones fitting ya that well. The Tour Deluxe - by virtue of the seat (which I would recommend changing) - would probably give you more leg room - as it isn't dished out like the Venture?

but with the 83 Venture I bought brand new and kept for almost 17 years was getting to the point where I got tired of trying to find parts for it, got tired of not enought room when I went on a long trip, and knees bending more than 90% finally gave in to the foot pegs. Outside of those problems, I think it was the best touring bike ever made. But then they put the vette to rest and came out with a cadillac. So it's 120 lbs. heavier, (it's bigger), and it gives us big guys something to stretch out on. I think Jack's just mad, because I told him about a 99 2nd gen with only 24k on it, mint condition, and Brent from Brentwood stoled it at a cost of only $5,699.00.:whistling:Hey Jack, there's got to be some other good deals out there, and I think you'd fit great on a bike that's made for us big guys. So even if your going to go over to the dark side 2nd gen, it's better than going over to the darker side.............I think everbody catches on to that statement, no offense intended. :mustache:See everybody, doesn't Jack look great on that 07 RSV?

[BuddyRich]

ITs an Age thing. :rasberry: :rotf:

 

 

Don't know but I have never had the bike down because something broke on it. Just the customizing that make it mine.

I'm gettin tired of rentin cars so if you decide you want to let one go cheap let me know.

[Condor]

Don't know but I have never had the bike down because something broke on it.

 

Buddy, didn't you have a blown shock??? Yep..... it's an old age thing......:rotf:

[Condor]

If you guys hate working on the bike so much---

Dont buy a Boat!!!! LOL

 

 

HA!! Scott I've wrenched on more boats than you've ever seen in your lifetime...... AND.... you're right!!!:rotf:

[BuddyRich]

Yep, But did not cost me a thing other than to drop it off and pick it up.

[MikeM8560]

HA!! Scott I've wrenched on more boats than you've ever seen in your lifetime...... AND.... you're right!!!:rotf:

Theres a saying "There is nothing-http://www.messingabout.com/images/dot_clear.gif absolutely nothing-

half so muchhttp://www.messingabout.com/images/dot_clear.gif worth doing

as simplyhttp://www.messingabout.com/images/dot_clear.gif messing about in boats."

actually i just ride my bike but spend many hours just hanging out in the boat mssing around. of curse there more to mess with then the venture.

[cbmel]

I must be foldable or something, because I'm 6'3" with 36" inseam, and I fit just fine on my 86. It has far more leg room than my old 82 GW1100 or 95 GW1500. My knees hit the little storage pouches if I have them on, but they don't hit the fairing itself. Mind you, I don't have a lot of extra "cushion" around my seat, but it is slowly growing to that point.

 

I also test drove a 2007 GW1800, and I fit fine on that too. It seemed to fit and handle very similar to the 86VR.

[91nwl]

Another perspective is that a full boat touring motorcycle with all the doodads that Ventures and Goldwings have is a heck of a thing to design and build.

 

The "newest" 1st gens are now 15 years old. My 91 is 17 years old. It has been incredibly reliable. It has never actually failed on a ride and I would trust it to go anywhere right now. It has a couple of little annoyances that I may fix this winter...like the stator oil leak and the bypass tube o-ring coolant leak that only occurs on cold mornings. But, my mechanic is against fixing those things. He thinks they are not worth it and he is going to argue with me when I bring it up.

 

(I do all the little stuff myself and try to do some of the bigger stuff, but when I'm not comfortable, I go to Gary at Huntington Beach Yamaha. He'[s the best.)

 

Also, these boards are great for getting adevice on how to fix things when they are not right, so we get a disproportionate view of reliability reading the posts. Someone is always complaining about something, but for every one of those, there are a thousand guys out riding.

[GeorgeS]

Hey Jack!!! I can't believe you said that !!!

 

No such thing as a motorcycle that don't have to be worked on !!!

 

As to sitting room, I think the only bike with a longer wheel base, is a Gold Wing !! or am I wrong.

 

How about that 1800cc Yamaha V-twin. Its pretty Long, I think.

Stratoliner, is that what its called ?? Run down to a dealer, and sit on one of those.

[RedRider]

Condor,

 

I'm 6'4", 250 (or so) lbs and found the RSV to fit me beautifully. Add some Longhorn highway pegs so you can stretch out on the highway, and you are good to go.

 

Turned 50,000 miles on the bike earlier this month and have had only to replace the starter solenoid (under warranty) and put in a new clutch. Other than standard maintenance (tires, brakes, fluids), it has been flawless. I do no special checking/testing before setting out on 1000+ mile trips. I love my bike!!

 

RR

[RoadKill]

I'm sure, just like every other 1stGen owner, I always thought that if I ran into a clean newer 2ndGen at a steal price, I'd buy it. To be honest I'm getting tired of working on bikes. I know a lot of members are going to jump all over that statement, but I would really like something that takes normal service and runs down the road. Maybe there's no such thing? But I don't want to be a slave to a source of intertainment. I wanna ride. After reading about all the problems that 2ndGens are having.... both with dealer service, and common repeating problems.... I don't think a 2ndGen is much better than a 1st, and doesn't have much of a track record either. I get the feeling that it's buy a Venture, and become a mechanic. New or old...it doesn't make much difference. Another thing that's making me leary about the 2ndGen is it seems to be designed more for someone that's smaller. I've read a bunch about taller riders doing all sorts of things to create extra leg room, and I'm at the upper end of the horizontally challenged scale. I'm going to start broadening my search and start looking at other brands. There's got to be an answer out there somewhere.......I'm just getting the feeling it's not with Yamaha.....

 

I have no experience with the 1st gen, but I have a wnd, 2003, that has needed nothing but normal service and a warranty shock replacement. With the corbin seat and highway pegs I think the RSV has more leg room than almost any bike going. You should ride a RSV just to be sure.

[mbrood]

My first road bike was a British Norton... work on it Friday so you could ride Saturday and Sunday... Adjust the chain, adjust the tappets, tighten the exhaust nuts, sync the carbs, set the timing points... And if you didn't get it all just right, that's ok... you can do it on the road side later.

 

My next bike was a "newer" Norton... but by then I had a nice and specific set of tools, making all of those adjustments so much easier... Friday night almost became ritual.

 

Then I got a Kawasaki H1... just 500 cc but it was a rocket... except for broken chains, the occassional seized piston or cracked crankshaft and the inevitable blown clutches... you really build a tool box with them too... and REALLY get to know how to do a full tear down in short order and end up with a lot of "gift" ashtrays made from piston tops.

 

Then I got a Yamaha XS-750... shaft drive, mainenance free except to check the oil levels and add gas. I even caught myself getting out my tools so I could go over things for a weekend outing... I DID use the plastic dip stick to check fluid level on the drive pumpkin... that was the only "tool" I used... I was truly amazed. That smooth thing just went right along with hardly a wrench applied.

 

When the opportunity came by, I grabbed at an 86 VR. It looked in great shape and sounded strong, so I got it. The earlier owner had been carefull about adding gas and adding oil. He didn't bother to "change" any but he seems to have kept it at the right level anyway. The oil was black, the brake and clutch fluids were black. And a few ""obvious" bolts or nuts were rounded or buggered up... So what he "couldn't" get to I had to. I guess he had a problem making his "Amearican Standard" tools work well on this bike. After fixing all of the "basic" stuff, then using this site and another to fix a few other nuisance problems... it really looks like I'm back in possession of a bike I can go out and put the key in when "I" want to ride... not when the "bike" lets me. It may not be the cleanest, fastest or newest but it sure seems like a dream ride to me... and I don't have to park on the side of the road and walk back to find parts or carry a bag of "incidental" nuts and bolts for replacements!