steamer Posted July 17, 2012 #26 Posted July 17, 2012 Take a towel with you to stuff between the rear seat and the trunk as there is a gap there and some women find that by putting something in there it is more comfortable. Also, if she finds it a little cramped, there is an extra set of holes and the trunk can be moved back about an incxh. A small amount of McGuiver'ing is necessary foer the rear holes, you need some spacers for them... I didn't need spacers, I just took out the 4 screws,move the trunk back to the last holes and re-tightened. piece of cake.
k9cottage Posted July 17, 2012 #27 Posted July 17, 2012 my better half has hip problems and finds it very comfortable spends most of the time on long rides asleep i usually find this out when her helmet bangs into the back of my helmet. ps this is the first bike she can sleep on and i have had lots of different bikes in 45 years of riding .
Cowboy67 Posted July 17, 2012 Author #28 Posted July 17, 2012 Appreciate all the feedback. Looking forward to test driving one this weekend.
XV1100SE Posted July 18, 2012 #29 Posted July 18, 2012 Thanks for the viewpoint and the info. I'm 6' 200lbs, wife is 5'4" and 110lbs. She was cramped on the HD until I installed a tour pack relocator and moved it back a few inches. We do a lot of trips on the bike so I gotta keep her happy. Our combination is very close to yours. I test rode the HD and Wing. Didn't like the shake rattle 'n roll of the HD. Seating position on the Wing didn't feel right. I came from a Virago 1100 though so seating of the RSV is similar other than floorboards and heel/toe shifter (which I wouldn't change). For comfort you can go hundreds of miles per day on the Venture and not get a sore but. For your wife, you won't find a more comfortable seat, plus add Carbon One's arm rests, move the trunk back and inch. Next thing you know the intercom will go silent and you'll have to wake her up to see if she is still back there ! Even without moving the seat compared to the HD there is more room on the Venture. Driver back rest is recommended for long rides. I have the Utopia but it isn't the only option. Also comes with a pouch for odds and ends.
Midrsv Posted July 18, 2012 #30 Posted July 18, 2012 Your wife will love the back seat on the RSV. It has much more room than the HD. About the same as my Goldwing but my wife still prefers the comfort of the Venture over the GW. Dennis
steamer Posted July 18, 2012 #31 Posted July 18, 2012 Not that I want to talk you out of the RSV, but what about the Victory Cross Country tour. I have heard nothing but good things about them. Easy handling,very comfy,lots of power,lots of storage space.
Freebird Posted July 18, 2012 #32 Posted July 18, 2012 WOW....blasphemy...BLASPHEMY on my own website. It's a terrible terrible thing to see.
XV1100SE Posted July 18, 2012 #33 Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Not that I want to talk you out of the RSV, but what about the Victory Cross Country tour. I have heard nothing but good things about them. Easy handling,very comfy,lots of power,lots of storage space. ... might be those things but in my opinion... it is one ugly bike ! I don't like the lines. Edited July 18, 2012 by XV1100SE
SilvrT Posted July 18, 2012 #34 Posted July 18, 2012 Seat comfort has always gotten great reviews. one of the best thing about these bikes is the comfort factor. A lot of folks here came from GL's and HD's just for this reason. My wife liked the Venture comfort more than the Wing but she's gotten quite used to the Wing now and has no problem. I find I can ride a lot longer on the stock Wing seat than I could on the stock Venture seat. That said, my Venture didn't have the pillow top seat so that could be the difference and besides, I got no arse to speak of. Your passenger will find that she sits higher on the Venture seat than on the HD or Wing. My wife liked that because she could see over my head whereas on the Wing, she can't.
steamer Posted July 18, 2012 #35 Posted July 18, 2012 ... might be those things but in my opinion... it is one ugly bike ! I don't like the lines. just putting it out there.
XV1100SE Posted July 18, 2012 #36 Posted July 18, 2012 just putting it out there. Personal opinion only. To each his/her own.
V7Goose Posted July 18, 2012 #37 Posted July 18, 2012 Appreciate all the feedback. Looking forward to test driving one this weekend. The RSV has tons of power, but the power curve is very different than a big twin - if you ride it like you ride your HD, you will think it is a dog. Keep the revs up when you are accelerating. You can cruise all day in 5th, even down to 35 MPH in normal traffic, but you cannot roll the throttle on much at those speeds unless you kick it down. If you want to step out quickly from 40 MPH, use 3rd. We all wish the bike came with a tach, but the engine has a rev limiter, so you can never hurt it by pushing the RPM (and 3rd gear will take it all the way to 97 MPH before you hit that limiter at 6,500 RPM). And adding a tach is easy. Of course no one spends all their time at the top end of the revs, but you need to use it sometimes. If you are running at 65 or so and need to pass a couple of semis in a hurry, kicking it down to 3rd will provide a real rush! Goose BTW - the vast majority of comfort comments I have seen over the years that have a direct comparison of the RSV comfort (for BOTH rider and passenger) against the wing and the HD have all rated the RSV significantly more comfortable than the other two.
FreezyRider Posted July 18, 2012 #38 Posted July 18, 2012 ... might be those things but in my opinion... it is one ugly bike ! I don't like the lines. Personally, I LIKE the lines and the overall look. And, having sat on one (and soon to test ride one) I believe that if I were to buy a different bike it would be the CCT. I have owned 2 RSV's and 2 Goldwings (a 1500 and my current 1800). Just sitting on the CCT it just felt better. Lower, more balanced, etc. Of course, I am vertically challenged so that affects my decisions. Good luck on whatever you decide. Joe
Stoutman Posted July 18, 2012 #39 Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) I've owned the RSTD and I know you will love the V4. The Venture is a great touring motorcycle for all the reasons these fine people have told you. However, you may consider looking at the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager ABS. For about the same money you can have fuel injection, ABS brakes, a frame mounted fairing and a tach on the dash. The drive belt doesn't have any lash, and there is virtually no whine in the 6 speed gear box. The engine won't have the same character as the Yamaha, and the queen seat is a little smaller, but it is one other option. You will pay more if you want the CB and the intercom all set up. Let the good times roll. Edited July 18, 2012 by Stoutman
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