oldryder Posted February 16, 2012 #1 Posted February 16, 2012 1st; I did do some searches before posting: Bought a 2008 Venture with 9k miles last week. It's still freezing here so I haven't even ridden it yet but I am already scoping out the farkles .... 1. Looking for a recommendation on a tank bag. I usually have gloves, an SLR camera, eyeglass case, and a bunch of little items. 2. what options for a tach. I know I don't really need one but every road bike I've ever owned had one so I feel naked without it. 3. saddlebag liners available? 4. local dealer says dunlop elite III's for rubber. I know there is a million opinions on what the are the BEST tires and I don't want to open that can of worms; just wondering if there is a reason against the Dunlops. had them on my Gold WIng and liked them. I am planning on buying one of the small 0-60 psi hand pumps for the suspension and flat tire inflation. thx in advance for help or suggestions.
rod Posted February 16, 2012 #2 Posted February 16, 2012 Most tank bags that I have seen will work Ok. If you search for tach You will have a few choices. JC Whitney has bag liners that fit or a menber here makes them. Tires are like oil threads loads of opinions. I like the Avons. Rod
MikeWa Posted February 16, 2012 #3 Posted February 16, 2012 Welcome Oldrider to the Venture adventure. The motorcycles are just great. The information and friendship you will garner from this site are phenomenal. Mike
steamer Posted February 16, 2012 #5 Posted February 16, 2012 Welcome to the funny farm. As someone has said, there are many tires that work great on these bikes. I have Dunlop 404 ww on mine the work well but not great. With only 9000 miles on an 08 you should run a couple tanks of seafoam to clean out the fuel system. Might not be a bad idea to change brake and clutch fluids, also coolent.
darthandy Posted February 16, 2012 #6 Posted February 16, 2012 Welcome to the land of ad - Ventures! You'll find the place very interesting. As for tires, Dunlop Touring Elite II's and III 's and Avon Venoms seem to be the tires of choice around here. I have the Elite II's and they have worked quite well in the dry and the wet and I would happily recommend them but then, I haven't tried all the tires out there. TLC Products makes a nice set of liners for the bags and trunk and you can even have your name embroidered on them! There are other companies as mentioned and a member here who makes them as well. Andy
oldryder Posted February 16, 2012 Author #7 Posted February 16, 2012 Steamer; thx for suggestion. I will be going thru all the fluids once it warms up a bit here. I made sure it ran right before I bought it as I REALLY didn't want to be dealing with dirty carbs. PO only used alcohol free fuel which goes a long ways towards alleviating the problems with old fuel we have here in the upper midwest where most bikes sit for 6 months of the year.
steamer Posted February 16, 2012 #8 Posted February 16, 2012 When you pull the rear wheel to change tires, make sure you grease the gears,drive shaft and those finger thingies with moly grease. There are some great instructions here in the tech section. Someone else here can fill you in on this better then me.
Brenda H Posted February 16, 2012 #9 Posted February 16, 2012 Welcome to the madhouse!! Congrats on the RSV! This site is the main reason why I was willing to risk buying a 15 year old bike, my '96 Royal Star Tour Classic. If the answer to a question is not on here someone will know what it is!! Assorted things I've picked up belonging to the group. Tires of choice seem to be mostly Dunlop E3's, which are on my RSTC, or the Avon Venoms. I go along with a complete fluid change, nose to tail, something that is going to be done on my bike [bought last year] at the next maintenance day gathering for the Houston group which takes place the end of March. Also ditto on the Seafoam, great stuff, I've been running some thru every tank of gas on my bike as it spent most of the last two years [and a good part of the time since I got it] sitting in the PO's garage [or my yard:D]. This is a great bunch of people. They are more than willing to do what they can to help you with your bike. I joined as I was looking at getting a RSV. We get together for rides, "meet & eats" where everybody meets up at a restaurant for munchies and finding out what everyone else is up to. The Maintenance Days are great fun where everyone gets together at one member's house. Everyone works on everyone else's bikes, lots of good food, good company, and it saves you a fortune in repair/maintenance bills. We've had folks haul their bikes in from out of state to find out what was wrong and get it fixed. Our fearless leader, FreeBird, has one that I'm told has had over 200 bikes show up for it, from all over the country. My local bunch's next one, held at Kregdoodle's place just outside Houston, had over 70 people at it last year, and he's expanding it to three days this year with a local dealer bringing in preordered parts and a selection of demo bikes for us to try out. The list of things I'm getting together to be put on, mounted on, or done to my RSTC is getting longer by the day! My biggest problem so far is trying to figure out how to get me, my bike, all the parts, AND my mother [who will be here visiting] down to Kreg's house! OH FUN!!
RandyR Posted February 16, 2012 #10 Posted February 16, 2012 Use one of the special zero-loss small hand pumps for the suspension instead of the same pump used for the tires.
bongobobny Posted February 16, 2012 #11 Posted February 16, 2012 Myself I prefer the E-3's but that's just my opinion. Wear like iron! Welcome aboard!!
colmike Posted February 17, 2012 #12 Posted February 17, 2012 I just purchased a Firstgear Silverstone Mini Tank Bag - Silver/Black, and believe it is going to work just fine. I did move the communications plug to get a better fit, but that was an easy task. Have only owned about a month now, so have not taken on any extended trips, but it seems to be a good fit and just the right size to stow those items I want quick and easy access to. It also has a nice clear pocket that's the perfect size for my iphone. Finally, it's a magnetic attachment which allows easy removal to take with you or throw in lockable storage. Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the group.
Mike G in SC Posted February 17, 2012 #13 Posted February 17, 2012 Use one of the special zero-loss small hand pumps for the suspension instead of the same pump used for the tires. Like Randy says, get a different pump for the suspension than you would use for tires. Go down to the Harley shop and get their hand pump for this job. Else you may have regrets using a powered pump. And, by zero, means that you loose zero pressure when you disconnect. But the hand pump is not for tires,,, unless you got lots of time on your hands,,, which maybe right now you do. Mike G in SC
dunsonaventure Posted February 17, 2012 #14 Posted February 17, 2012 Barons makes a cool tach that takes the place of the cover on the front brake resevoir. Yamaha makes bag liners, not cheap, but I have them and they fit perfectly. Dont have the tach yet but met a guy out on the road with one and it looked awsome.
ragtop69gs Posted February 17, 2012 #15 Posted February 17, 2012 Here's a little taste of what your in for if (when) you decide to join the VR madness. This was last years MD http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64968&highlight=freebirds
Yammer Dan Posted February 17, 2012 #16 Posted February 17, 2012 MADNESS??? There is one thing...when you ride stay to the right side of your lane so you won't get in the way of the 1st Gens!!!:whistling: WELCOME!! Hope you get a lot of smiles out of that thing!!
XV1100SE Posted February 17, 2012 #17 Posted February 17, 2012 I picked up the TLC liners a couple years ago based on some recommendations I saw on here. Good material, strong zippers, and you can have a line of embroidery done on the bags (all 3 ... like your name) included in the price. Went with the Elite 3's during the summer and the feel is better than the Bridgestones. If you get into the brakes the EBC pads are recommended. Based on year and (low) mileage... run some Seafoam thru the gas to help clean things out and come to Maintenance Day at Freebird's (Don) for assistance with carb tune or anything else you want to do or learn about on the bike. Welcome to the site !
ragtop69gs Posted February 17, 2012 #18 Posted February 17, 2012 MADNESS??? There is one thing...when you ride stay to the right side of your lane so you won't get in the way of the 1st Gens!!!:whistling: WELCOME!! Hope you get a lot of smiles out of that thing!! I thought we need to stay right so we didn't run over parts that fall off those antiques
warriorhoneybee Posted February 17, 2012 #19 Posted February 17, 2012 all i can say is good luck!!! if you have a question someone here has the answer,you may not like it but someone knows. LOL great bunch of people here.p.s. once you join you can never leave.
oldryder Posted February 17, 2012 Author #20 Posted February 17, 2012 Thx everyone. I got some shopping to do. I am investigating modifying a firecreek electric windshield for use on my Venture. For me an elec WS is one of the best features a long distance bike can have since I prefer to look over the Ws even in the rain or moderate cold. I should know more about that in a few weeks and will report here if I have any success.
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