Looking at HD's

[newventure]

Took a ride over to the local HD.dealer yesterday to look at the progressive air pumps for my venture. Looked at several ultra's. Really like them, ask the salesman if I could sit on one, he said sure. I couldn't believe how light it was coming off the side stand, and the rider position was better than my venture, lower seat height, hate to say it but it, but sitting on it made me fell more comfortable. The salesman stated he has a stratoliner now and has had 3 ventures before that, so we talked a little. He said he likes the Yamaha's and still has one. He said the one reason he eventually sold his ventures was the top heavyness, still has a cassette deck, and carbs, basically and outdated bike and also didn't like the shaft drive with the jerking ect. and said the belt drive is smootheron the HD'S. He wants me to come over and take it for a test ride this week, but just I'm afraid I'll like it, and all points he made I had to agree. The ultra was nice, had fuel inj. cd player and over all fit and finish was nice. This wasn't a new bike, an 03. I know HD's have their issues as anything mechanical will, but I'll tell ya, I've been seriously thinking about putting the midnight up for sale, but the wife isn't real thrilled about it yet, as she likes the venture. So those of you on here that have had HD's in the past or now have one, give me your opinions, ect. would like to know before I decide on the future. I've had V twins before and like the torque, sound ect. the venture is the first multi cyl. bike I've owned and it is smoooth ect. but I can't seem to get to really like the bike, you know when it feels right, and I've had this bike 4 years now, and had no issues with it, I just can't seem to get all warm and fuzzy about it.

[Rick Haywood]

Took a ride over to the local HD.dealer yesterday to look at the progressive air pumps for my venture. Looked at several ultra's. Really like them, ask the salesman if I could sit on one, he said sure. I couldn't believe how light it was coming off the side stand, and the rider position was better than my venture, lower seat height, hate to say it but it, but sitting on it made me fell more comfortable. The salesman stated he has a stratoliner now and has had 3 ventures before that, so we talked a little. He said he likes the Yamaha's and still has one. He said the one reason he eventually sold his ventures was the top heavyness, still has a cassette deck, and carbs, basically and outdated bike and also didn't like the shaft drive with the jerking ect. and said the belt drive is smootheron the HD'S. He wants me to come over and take it for a test ride this week, but just I'm afraid I'll like it, and all points he made I had to agree. The ultra was nice, had fuel inj. cd player and over all fit and finish was nice. This wasn't a new bike, an 03. I know HD's have their issues as anything mechanical will, but I'll tell ya, I've been seriously thinking about putting the midnight up for sale, but the wife isn't real thrilled about it yet, as she likes the venture. So those of you on here that have had HD's in the past or now have one, give me your opinions, ect. would like to know before I decide on the future. I've had V twins before and like the torque, sound ect. the venture is the first multi cyl. bike I've owned and it is smoooth ect. but I can't seem to get to really like the bike, you know when it feels right, and I've had this bike 4 years now, and had no issues with it, I just can't seem to get all warm and fuzzy about it.

 

It is a nice bike but how come so many people have an issue with the tape deck on the ventures? It isn't in the way and most bikes didn't have a cd player until the last few years plus with MP3 players and Satalite radio why would anyone want to carrier arounds CD's. Biggest drawback for the Venture is no Fuel injection, biggest drawback for the Harley, not watercooled.

[CaptainJoe]

" He said the one reason he eventually sold his ventures was the top heavyness, still has a cassette deck, and carbs, basically and outdated bike and also didn't like the shaft drive with the jerking ect.'

 

top heavy? only at speed below 4mph and can be somewhat corrected with leveling links in the rear or raising forks in triple clamps in the front.

 

Cassette deck? well a CD player is just about as old technology...in my humble opinion. a mp3 player with a removable +4 Gig flash drive would be much better.

 

Don't /never had a problem with the carbs...

 

Shaft drive/jerking act??? sounds like somethings wrong with the bike he rode???

 

Every bike has it's problems including the Ultra , close to $10,000 more for the same ammeneties, no 5 year warranty, Hot as *&^% in the summer, not water cooled so... you will be working on it before 100,000 miles etc... so on and so forth...

 

 

no thanks I'll stick to my Venture...

Edited August 14, 2011 by CaptainJoe

[Grisolm1]

One common issue with Harley FLH touring models, at least before 09, when they redesigned them is rear suspension bottoming even fully aired up. I go over some fairly large bumps on one of my routes and it took me a while to stop instictivly lifting out of my seat in preparation for the jolt I always got on my Roadking. Ventures and many other bikes just glide over these.

[elmicko]

I like the Harleys. They're good looking bikes and the paint, plastic, chrome, etc. look great. And really, they're priced in the same range as a Venture (yeah you can buy one that's a HE## of a lot more expensive if you want to, but apples to apples features they're about the same).

 

I stopped in a local Harley shop recently to get a pair of jeans (GREAT jeans for the money btw) and was looking at an Road Glide and an Electra Glide. One thing that really stuck out to me was when I opened the trunk and side bags. Those things are built very solid, the trunk felt like I was opening the trunk on a car. Very impressive.

 

One thing that does concern me about them though, and I would really like to get some good info on this instead of the standard Harley bashing, is how frequently I'm hearing about guys having to rebuild the engines on these things. Is there a reason for this??? I know they're not water cooled, but they do use an oil cooler which helps a lot over just air cooling. When it finally comes time to replace the Venture or maybe just add another bike to the stable I would have to give a Harley a serious look. I'm just concerned about the whole engine rebuilding thing.

 

I know there are several on here that have Ultra's, can anybody give me any information on this? Thanks.

[newventure]

I like the Harleys. They're good looking bikes and the paint, plastic, chrome, etc. look great. And really, they're priced in the same range as a Venture (yeah you can buy one that's a HE## of a lot more expensive if you want to, but apples to apples features they're about the same).

 

I stopped in a local Harley shop recently to get a pair of jeans (GREAT jeans for the money btw) and was looking at an Road Glide and an Electra Glide. One thing that really stuck out to me was when I opened the trunk and side bags. Those things are built very solid, the trunk felt like I was opening the trunk on a car. Very impressive.

 

One thing that does concern me about them though, and I would really like to get some good info on this instead of the standard Harley bashing, is how frequently I'm hearing about guys having to rebuild the engines on these things. Is there a reason for this??? I know they're not water cooled, but they do use an oil cooler which helps a lot over just air cooling. When it finally comes time to replace the Venture or maybe just add another bike to the stable I would have to give a Harley a serious look. I'm just concerned about the whole engine rebuilding thing.

 

I know there are several on here that have Ultra's, can anybody give me any information on this? Thanks.

Yes some valid points here and well deserved. I also aked about the maint. issues and the top end rebuid, ect. He said it all goes back to proper maint. He said any bike, car anything mechanical if not taken care of will produce problems, and me being in th e mechanical fields the last 20 years I will agree with him. As far as the shaft drive, I do believe him, no problem with mine but with the shaft drive you have to admit you do get a driveshaft clunk sometimes when leaving from a stop, that vs. a belt drive I would agree with him on that note to. He had 3 ventures in the past and this is my first and only one, so I would think he has more experience with the ventures than I do. Another thing is dealer support. Hd's have a huge dealer support vs. the metric bikes. I really get tired of going to bike events and seeing all the neat accesories geared to the harleys and nothing for the metrics. Her alot of the dealers are open on Sunday's and do a fair share of business, can't go to a metric dealer and look around. Right now it's raining here so what do I do for the day? go to the HD. dealer and look around or go to the metric dealer which is closed. Of all the sales people I could have talk to I happen to talk to one that was a current venture owner and was nice enough to share his experiences and opinions which I appreciated. Yes, he is there to sell a bike but I tol him from the start I was just looking and at this point in time I wasn't serious, but he still was willing to share his opinions and comparisons. I like the victory's also but not real sure about dealer support. You got to admit there are alot of harleys around and the dealer support is good, so there must be something to it. Yes I believe the venture is a rare breed compared to the Hd's and wings.

[Michael_Bishop]

If I was going to buy a new one I would wait for the 2012 modles to come out. They are going water cooled in 2012 or that the word.

http://motorcycles.about.com/b/2011/04/01/2012-harley-davidson-lineup-to-break-tradition-with-water-cooled-engines.htm

 

I was going to buy new ultra back in 2005 and the salesman piss me off at southside harley in Indy. So I called dryers up and ask them if they had a red and black RSTD in stock and they did. Pick it up and saved $6,000. Got a bike with 4 inches longer wheel base 3 more years of warranty.

 

A guy that I work with pick up a 2003 ultra a year later that only had 1100 miles on it. He had owen one back in the 80's and notice that it seam the seat and tour pack was shorter. His wife said it was like she was squash in. He found a kit to move thing back some. I ride with a lot of harley guys and it seams like with the newer one just go over it a lot and tighten up the bolts every so often. Oh I was told back in 2008 that they was going have to go to water cooled in 2012 or 2013 to meet EPA standadrs.

[newventure]

If I was going to buy a new one I would wait for the 2012 modles to come out. They are going water cooled in 2012 or that the word.

http://motorcycles.about.com/b/2011/04/01/2012-harley-davidson-lineup-to-break-tradition-with-water-cooled-engines.htm

 

I was going to buy new ultra back in 2005 and the salesman piss me off at southside harley in Indy. So I called dryers up and ask them if they had a red and black RSTD in stock and they did. Pick it up and saved $6,000. Got a bike with 4 inches longer wheel base 3 more years of warranty.

 

A guy that I work with pick up a 2003 ultra a year later that only had 1100 miles on it. He had owen one back in the 80's and notice that it seam the seat and tour pack was shorter. His wife said it was like she was squash in. He found a kit to move thing back some. I ride with a lot of harley guys and it seams like with the newer one just go over it a lot and tighten up the bolts every so often. Oh I was told back in 2008 that they was going have to go to water cooled in 2012 or 2013 to meet EPA standadrs.

Thanks, may have to do that, haven't heard about the water cooled model, interesting. I did notice that the Harley's have a better resale value if that is important. As I said in my other post I do like the venture, it just doesn't seem to do it for me for some reason. I noticed that yesterday when I opened the rear trunk lid, it did seem solid and heavier. Fiberglass vs. plastic, and as I said over all fit and finish. I guees I'm more a V twin guy than a multiple cyl. yes the venture will run and is a mid to high rpm bike vs. a V twin, definitely giving some thoughts about it.

[SilvrT]

Oh what the heck ... I'll throw in my 2 cents even though I've never owned a Harley...

 

At least once a year for the past .... hmmmm ... 12 or so years ... I have gone to the Harley demo days. It's always a great time .... they do it up right. Rarely see or hear about Yamaha demo days, although they do occasionally have them and I did go to one. Star Days I believe they call it.

 

Anyhoo ... each HD demo day I went to, I've ridden an Ultra Glide and the most recent one was the Limited model c/w the 103 engine, chrome wheels, etc. Extremely nice bike, very easy to drive/handle, very minimal handlebar vibration at idle and no vibration at all once off idle ... tons of power and frankly, very nice to drive... very stable at hwy speed and beyond.

 

As for price, let's see ... I think a new RSV around here is close to 22k ... an Ultra Limited with ABS & Security is just over 27k ... ok, so that's 5 grand difference. There pricing has remained pretty competitive and hasn't changed much in the past 5 years or more. So, what did an '06 RSMV sell for new? ... I'd guess close to 20k (going by my limited memory) ... and what can I get for it today? I'd be lucky if I got 8k for it. What's an '06 Ultra going for these days? .... close to 16k so what does that tell ya?

 

I am skeptical about the stories ya hear about having to rebuild the engine on the HD at under 100k because which model(s) are these stories referring to here? There are so many different HD models and so many more are sold in comparison to the RSV ... of course there is going to be a higher number of occurrences of engine work but as was mentioned .... if you maintain it right and drive it with respect it really should last a long time .... disregard it and drive the crap outta it and you'll be rebuilding it. Another thing to note is that a lot of Harley owners just can't not tinker with those engines because there are so many "goodies" and "mods" one can do to them and when you start modding an engine, especially if you're a "DIYer", your probably gonna be having some issues down the road.

 

Ya, I really like my RSMV but it has it's "issues" as so many of them do (noisy engine, clutch basket whine, etc, etc) and what about all those failed rear shocks folks talk about ...

 

If I had the bucks to spend right now, I'd be riding an Ultra Limited in a heartbeat. In fact, I could afford to get one now but I have retirement coming up in 3 years and I need that money for those "lean" years to come as my pension won't buy me peanuts.

 

... ooops... I guess I contributed a bit more than 2 cents .. eh?

[newventure]

Oh what the heck ... I'll throw in my 2 cents even though I've never owned a Harley...

 

At least once a year for the past .... hmmmm ... 12 or so years ... I have gone to the Harley demo days. It's always a great time .... they do it up right. Rarely see or hear about Yamaha demo days, although they do occasionally have them and I did go to one. Star Days I believe they call it.

 

Anyhoo ... each HD demo day I went to, I've ridden an Ultra Glide and the most recent one was the Limited model c/w the 103 engine, chrome wheels, etc. Extremely nice bike, very easy to drive/handle, very minimal handlebar vibration at idle and no vibration at all once off idle ... tons of power and frankly, very nice to drive... very stable at hwy speed and beyond.

 

As for price, let's see ... I think a new RSV around here is close to 22k ... an Ultra Limited with ABS & Security is just over 27k ... ok, so that's 5 grand difference. There pricing has remained pretty competitive and hasn't changed much in the past 5 years or more. So, what did an '06 RSMV sell for new? ... I'd guess close to 20k (going by my limited memory) ... and what can I get for it today? I'd be lucky if I got 8k for it. What's an '06 Ultra going for these days? .... close to 16k so what does that tell ya?

 

I am skeptical about the stories ya hear about having to rebuild the engine on the HD at under 100k because which model(s) are these stories referring to here? There are so many different HD models and so many more are sold in comparison to the RSV ... of course there is going to be a higher number of occurrences of engine work but as was mentioned .... if you maintain it right and drive it with respect it really should last a long time .... disregard it and drive the crap outta it and you'll be rebuilding it. Another thing to note is that a lot of Harley owners just can't not tinker with those engines because there are so many "goodies" and "mods" one can do to them and when you start modding an engine, especially if you're a "DIYer", your probably gonna be having some issues down the road.

 

Ya, I really like my RSMV but it has it's "issues" as so many of them do (noisy engine, clutch basket whine, etc, etc) and what about all those failed rear shocks folks talk about ...

 

If I had the bucks to spend right now, I'd be riding an Ultra Limited in a heartbeat. In fact, I could afford to get one now but I have retirement coming up in 3 years and I need that money for those "lean" years to come as my pension won't buy me peanuts.

 

... ooops... I guess I contributed a bit more than 2 cents .. eh?

I agree with alot of your comments. Yes just looking at say ebay and comparing the bids on the harley's vs the stars is something. I believe maint. is the key to anything, treat it right and they will treat you right. Most of my friends ride harleys and yes I do see some sitting along the road during organized rides and chucle sometimes, but look at the ratio from hd's to ventures, alot more of them. My riding friends haven't had any issues with their bikes all because they are cared for and well maintained. Yes, I read here about the clutch noise, rear shocks, among other things, and as I said earlier anything mechanical will have issues from time to time, dealer support more available parts and accessories, the list goes on and on. Not real serious at this point but weighing my options for the next few weeks. I 've read on here that others have jumped ship to anothe bike, wing ect. because yamaha isn't doing any up grades to their top of the line touring bike. Yes it's nice to be different riding a venture, but go to a bike event and look for accessories for your venture and most times you get a blank stare, just wish more was available.

[Michael_Bishop]

I did know one guy at work that had one with 125,000 miles on it and had never rebuild top end. Still running great he rode it to work everyday even in the snow.

 

I do agree with you SilvrT on them holding there value.

 

Here is a link about a guy taking a 2005 Road King on a trip to Alaska this year. I don't remember him having any motorcycle problems.

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29516

[Sailor]

Did anyone check the date on that article? April 1. See related articles....US government to ban motorcycle chrome, Government to limit horsepower to 75 hp.

[Michael_Bishop]

My bad on water cooled. I guess where I was talking to a guy in 08 that was going to school to learn to work on them in FL. That it was going to happen in 2012 or 2013. Sorry for that post.

[straycatt]

If you want to know what owners really think about their HD's and the problems they have, spend some time here...

 

http://www.hdforums.com/forum/index.php

 

...I go there just for fun. If you join up, don't mention what you ride. The faithful don't take well to non-believers.

[SilvrT]

Did anyone check the date on that article? April 1. See related articles....US government to ban motorcycle chrome, Government to limit horsepower to 75 hp.

 

I remember seeing that article quite a while ago (someone here posted it). Even if it was true, it would be another testament to Harley in that they are "moving forward" in updating the technology of their bikes, as they have been doing for a while now.

 

Harley is in the market to make street bikes (cruisers, tourers, etc) ... Yamaha (and I've said this before) makes a lot of different products and motorcycles is just one of them. They are not as focused on cruisers and touring bikes. Go to any Yamaha shop (at least around here) and that is evident. Heck, I even noticed that in the Yammi shop in Cody.

[CaptainJoe]

Go for it!

 

Heck if I had more space in my garage (and money) "mainly money" I'd have one of each.... BMW, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Victory, Harley, triumph.... etc...

 

My dads favorite saying "Experience is the best teacher"

[TARHEEL RIDER]

My wife and I test rode an Ultra Classic this summer. It had the 110 in it. While on vacation we toured the plant in York and thought that since we saw them being assembled, let's try one. Under power the bike was as smooth as our Venture, but at a red light, that thing shook so hard, it was annoying. The fit and finnish was as good as ours, but the riding postion for me was too cramped because of the handle bar position. She liked the backrest, but missed the little arm rests over the rear speakers. The fuel injection seemed nice, but not a deal maker, I like being able to tune my own stuff as needed. Overall, it was a nice ride, but I do like just about anything with two wheels and a motor. The deal breaker was the $500 plus per month for 5 years that said hell no, no way.....plus my banker, known as my wife!

[SilvrT]

but at a red light, that thing shook so hard, it was annoying.

 

Some seem different than others and I don't know why that is. I did not find that the shaking was excessive or annoying on any of the Ultras I've ridden over the past few years. However, I also test rode a Road Glide and it did shake a lot more than the Ultra.

 

I rode a Victory Cross Country this spring and found it to be "vibraty" when accelerating yet others I've talked to say they feel nothing.

 

Maybe it's a matter of what one percieves as being "annoying" .. ??

[newventure]

My wife and I test rode an Ultra Classic this summer. It had the 110 in it. While on vacation we toured the plant in York and thought that since we saw them being assembled, let's try one. Under power the bike was as smooth as our Venture, but at a red light, that thing shook so hard, it was annoying. The fit and finnish was as good as ours, but the riding postion for me was too cramped because of the handle bar position. She liked the backrest, but missed the little arm rests over the rear speakers. The fuel injection seemed nice, but not a deal maker, I like being able to tune my own stuff as needed. Overall, it was a nice ride, but I do like just about anything with two wheels and a motor. The deal breaker was the $500 plus per month for 5 years that said hell no, no way.....plus my banker, known as my wife!

This bike is an 03 anniverary model, 23 k on it. Lots of extras, I figure about 4 k's worth, clean and looks to have been taken care of. He did some rough figures at a 10% interest rate with the added warranty and the payments would be 250.00 a month. Most likely the interest rate would be alot lower, and I could shave some of the warranty options off, like the tire/wheel option. Considering it, may set something up to take a test ride, never rode one before to compare it to the venture, fit / finish, better stereo, lower seat height, lower center of gravity. Looked at the NADA values on the 03 harley and my 02 midnight, damn near cried. They are right there on price and I even got them done to 11,500 with money down. My midnight only has 14 ,523 on mile wise and it is great shape, but man looks like I will take a beating on it if I sell it. They will do a trade but at wholesale prices so thoughts, not even in the picture.

[TARHEEL RIDER]

I have rideen a friends 103 and it didn't seem to hit as bad as the 110 while at a redlight at idle. Under power they were both as smooth as our V-4's, plus I didn't think they had the same oomph as ours when you rolled on the throttle to pass.

oh well, just one mans observation........thats why there are many brands to choose from.

[Condor]

I think Harley's are cute.......

http://www.cast-aways.com/QUICKY/misspiggy.jpg

[Grisolm1]

I've heard the key to HD longevity is to warm them up a bit before riding and certainly before riding them hard. I never had a bit of trouble with mine in 35k mi.

 

I'm thankful the Venture doesn't have as many accessories avail. I was spending hundreds a month updating my BDAY. I just got tired of seeing my same bike 5-10x a day.

 

Venture resale sucks but means you can get a deal on a low mileage bike that will last.

[MikeWa]

I recently went on a road trip with my 08 Venture and a friend with an 09 Ultra Classic. This is an amendment to one of two reports I wrote on our return and posted on this forum.

 

Bike Report

21 Day 6200+ mile trip from Seattle WA to Waco and San Antonio Texas.

Comparison

2008 Royal Star Venture 1300 4 cylinder

2009 Harley Ultra V-Twin 103 Stage 2 Kit installed

Both bikes were heavily loaded with luggage and supplies.

General Info

The Venture 6 gallon fuel tank only holds 5.5 gallons from walking to full. I know this for a fact. Drilling the filler neck is now high on my list of things to do. I hope it will remedy this as that other half gallon can be important. I was glad I carried a gas can on this trip. A real issue since so many gas stations have closed. (I have since punched the filler neck out and it now holds six gallons)

The low fuel warning light is inconsistent. Sometimes providing ample warning but occasionally not coming on until after the engine stumbled and the tank was already switched to reserve. I just don’t think the quality of this device is all that great.

The low fuel countdown odometer was also inconsistent sometimes not coming on until after the switch to reserve.

The reserve petcock is very accurate. Switching when the engine stumbles yields exactly one gallon in reserve every time. Count on it so watch your mileage.

Gas mileage varied a lot due to wind and altitude. The best was 44mpg the worst was 28. Most of the time it was in the low to mid 30s. Add that to a 5.5 gallon useable fuel supply with limited gas stops and it becomes an issue.

The Venture was very sensitive to altitude running poorly over 5500 feet, very bad over 6000ft and terrible over 7000ft. It would feel like it was lugging with very poor acceleration bucking and sputtering and a heavy throttle required to maintain speed. The cruise became useless in 5th gear as it would drop out at the slightest grade. A lot of the trip was at altitude in the 5500 to 7000 feet range so this is a real issue. If you factor in a headwind it often became a 4th gear experience. And a rough 4th gear at that. I tried adjusting the pilot screws to get a little extra fuel and that seemed to help a little. My feeling is the loss of vacuum (air pressure) at altitude affects the carburetor piston diaphragm in a negative way. I actually got to where I could tell the altitude by the way the bike ran. And the Zumo on the Harley confirmed it.

The fuel injected Ultra my buddy was riding did not experience this problem. His fuel economy stayed consistent in the lower to mid 40s. Occasionally the upper forties. He did not seem to have a power drop off either. My feeling is Yamaha really needs to quit screwing around and upgrade to a quality FI system. With altitude compensation. The Harley did require premium fuel however and this was sometimes hard to find. I fed my Yamaha everything from 91 octane down to about 84 with no affect good or bad on how it ran.

The trunk opening to the front can be a pain when the back seat is loaded with luggage. But this is a very minor thing. I was happy to have the saddle bags and trunk.

Handling was superb. We had high winds up to about 60mph from almost every direction. The bike just sucked it up and kept on going. On two lane roads in the wind with semi trucks going by the bike just pushed through. Where I thought the large fairing was going to be a problem it wasn’t. The ride was just plain comfortable with no sign of monkey butt even after several days of 10 or 11 hours in the saddle. I also learned to appreciate larger wind shields, lower fairings and air vents as temperatures ranged from the high 30s to over 100 degrees.

Radio speakers in the helmet are a must. Wind and road noise will drown out the regular speakers at speed. The CB radio is also a major plus for communicating between bikes. Just learn some protocol and use it. It may sound dumb at first but it will keep riders from talking over each other and in the end is a better experience. We found that using the cruise control and covering the mic with a free hand when talking helped a lot at high speed.

Fuel Mileage

The FI Harley Ultra won hands down. Sometimes getting over 10mpg better than my carbureted RSV. More than enough to offset the higher cost of premium. But more importantly the fuel mileage was more consistent making it easier to plan fuel stops. With no surplus of refueling stations, my useable 5.5 gallon fuel capacity and uncertain mileage it seemed I was always the one requiring pit stops. Ugh.

Handling

Both bikes handled very well. I think we hit just about every kind of road conceivable. The Venture has air adjustable shocks the Ultra does not. So I was able to set my bike for the load and still have a soft ride. The Harley rides a bit harder. On this long of a trip I was very happy with the Venture. My tires are Dunlop 404ww. They worked very well and I now have over 14k on them. They are a replacement for the original Bridgestones which I didn’t care for.

Performance

Altitude and wind severely effected my Venture. The Harley not so much. Give a big plus to Fuel Injection. From a stop side by side acceleration 0 to 60 was to close to call. From a 30 mph start the modified Harley seemed to have the Venture by less than half a bike length (my front wheel his handlebar) up to about 80 mph where I started to regain some and the test was ended. Very close. Performance at altitude. The Harley hands down.

Conclusion

Fantastic trip. Would I change my Venture for a Harley?..No. Can the Venture be improved? Yes, but it doesn’t need much.

Note

I had the Venture dyno tested after my return. It tested very similar to a Motorcycle Magazine dyno test from a couple of years ago. Which I used as a baseline. So there is no reason to suspect there was a problem with the Venture. In my opinion the Venture has better power than a Harley 88 or 96. But it still does not have enough oomph to make fifth gear viable under many circumstances. Thus the need to keep the revs high.

Research shows that as altitude increases power is lost at a rate of about three percent per one thousand feet. When altitudes exceed six thousand feet the Venture just does not have enough reserve power to keep from lugging a loaded bike in fifth gear on an incline. The heavily modified Harley my friend was riding had the needed reserve. Knowing this I am quite content to use fourth gear pay a little gas mileage.

[Mariner Fan]

It is a nice bike but how come so many people have an issue with the tape deck on the ventures? It isn't in the way and most bikes didn't have a cd player until the last few years plus with MP3 players and Satalite radio why would anyone want to carrier arounds CD's. Biggest drawback for the Venture is no Fuel injection, biggest drawback for the Harley, not watercooled.

 

I agree about the tape deck. I never think about it behind the door. CD players are outdated too. MP3 players are the way to go on a bike. I actually have XM radio and it does everything that I want for music and talk radio. I look at the Harleys once a year or so and really like them. Breaking everything down, I suppose the sound of the Harley Motor draws me to them. Trouble with me is how much they are over priced for what you get.

I think everyone gets the urge to try a different ride once in a while but for me, no one makes a bike yet that will make me get rid of the Venture.

[bj66]

I went from an 08 RSTD to an 11 Road Glide Custom. As of right now, I will never go back, the glide rides way better. Not sure of actuall specs, but the seat sits alot lower, and I feel much more stable. After riding the glide, the deluxe feels like im balancing on top of a fence. Plus the frame mounted fairing makes handling much better.

 

Now the drawbacks. With my glide, the fairing is farther forward, so more wind. I replaced standard windshield when I bought it. I listened to the dealer and installed their 12 inch shield. It wasnt enough, so now I have my 3rd shield, which works really well.

I replaced my headpipe, due to the catalytic converters location. Getting rid of that saves about 300 degrees of heat on your right leg. If you are doing this, you might as well add a fuel management system, air breather, and slip ons. It will give you about 12 to 14 more hp. But it all costs money. Keep in mind the cat location is for 09's and up I believe, and buying used this may already be done for you.

 

My road glide custom is a lowered bike. So not as much shock in the back. You just have to pay more attention to your air pressure, no big deal. The 2011 stock seat is very nice, a big improvemnet over the 10's. The only other add on i did, was put HD Heritage bars on it. Believe it or not, they were only 79 bucks.

 

I just went out to Sturgis last week, and road a few days while out there. I ended up putting 1335 miles on the stock seat. I was 10 times more comfy than on the rstd which I took last year. Yes its alot more money, but money well spent.

 

I believe the big maintenance issue is all the tinkering guys do. There are so many different cams etc, its easy to get carried away. Pretty soon you are riding a time bomb.

 

I think sticker on my 11 road glide custom was around 19000, plus about 2000 more for the 103 motor which is now stock in 2012.

 

I think the road glide ultra was about 22000.

 

If I was to buy again, I think i'd go slightly used, 09 or newer (newer frame). Somebody else can put the goodies on for you. You can save alot that way.....Hope this helps