Venture's the

[Guest gregs02]

I'm curious,,what makes these bikes so special,,when i'm on the road i don't see many of them,,but on the internet ,not to many of them are for sale,,you see more H/D and goldwings than anything else . ,,i just wanted to know why people like them so?

[Freebird]

They are VERY special. It takes a very special person to own one.

 

OK...in my opinion..it is just very poor marketing on behalf of Yamaha. You see few of them on the showroom floors. A handful of dealers will have one or two but many dealers won't have one at all. You never see any promotions from Yamaha and when you do, they are typically for their Roadstars and etc.

 

I honestly think that if I were in a high position with Yamaha, I could increase the sales of this bike beyond their wildest dreams.

[ahoutzer]

Big & roomy, comfortable, smooth, gorgeous, highly reliable, lots of storage space, makes me smile and want to keep on going even when its raining...

[AZSpyder]

I think it’s something to do with marketing and how they are not common on the street. I had been riding for years but didn’t know about them. My wife popped up on day and said “Let’s get a Goldwing”. If Honda still made a four cylinder version I would have gotten it. I don’t care for the new Goldwings because I don’t think they look like a motorcycle. I do my own work and I like to be able to see an engine. I figured out the wife meant touring bike with a comfy back seat.

 

I ended up doing an Internet search for touring bikes. The Kawa looked good (not the Ninja engine based one), too bad they don’t make them any more. I always wanted a Beemer but she didn’t like the looks of the LT and I didn’t like the complexity.

 

I found out about the Ventures on the Internet and found this site. After lurking here a while I stopped by the local dealer and they had just put one on the floor. It was late January and turned out it was the very first 07 they had seen. Two days later it was still there and I drove it home. That is still the only one I have seen there. I don’t think Yamaha is trying very hard to get the word and the bikes out.

 

It has a couple of issues. For me it was hard to deal with at low speeds, and then there’s that chirp. With some setup changes it is now a great handling bike, good warranty but nothing to fix and looks like a motorcycle.

Jerry

[fixit3546]

Maybe they don't want to flood the market with them, ya know, Keep them special stand-outish.............

[pegscraper]

I like the engine being something besides a V twin. That's hard to do in a cruiser style.

[Rich99]

Harley has the market on the biker side, and Honda has the market on the civilian market, so in this world, the main thing that stands out today is power and money. So all the ones that have money, plus power to go with it, scares Yamaha so much that they don't want to try to rise above these two companies, and then find out that they can't sell all the bikes they made. When they first came out with this bike, it looked like a Harley, but didn't sound like one. And being it's a V-4, even putting loud muffer's on it didn't sound like a Harley, so people "bikers" didn't buy them. Most of the people that buy a Harley want to be noticed, this is why they buy the bike, because it has a deep throat sound that shakes the ground. With the ones that don't like noise, then it's a GW, but people buy this one to show off what is esentually, a good looking bike that is too quiet. So when I bought my 99 RSV, Concord Yamaha had 4 RSV's that had been sitting on the floor for over a year, and they just wanted to get rid of them. So they dropped the price on every bike from $15,999 to $12,999. So far, I think this is the main reason the RSV is still being sold today, because their less expensive than the other two. And Yamaha is still trying at making something more or less like a Harley, that's why the big twin Roadliner came out to see if this bike would compete with a Harley. So for all of us medium income people, we go for the good deal, and so far, because were not into the "biker" crowd, Yamaha is a much better bike, and the ones that what to be noticed here, don't do it with noise, or buying a Cadilla, we do it with "CHROME". :rotf:

[Marcarl]

The simple answer is that the Brass @ Yamaha has lots of stocks in Harley and Honda. Don't want to screw up the retirement package EH?

[Bartley]

They are VERY special. It takes a very special person to own one.

 

OK...in my opinion..it is just very poor marketing on behalf of Yamaha. You see few of them on the showroom floors. A handful of dealers will have one or two but many dealers won't have one at all. You never see any promotions from Yamaha and when you do, they are typically for their Roadstars and etc.

 

I honestly think that if I were in a high position with Yamaha, I could increase the sales of this bike beyond their wildest dreams.

 

Don is absolutely right. I also know one thing....this bike will capture more looks in a parking lot full of Harleys and Goldwings because there aren't many of them around. They're BIG and BEAUTIFUL.

[Acadieman]

Imagine for a minute if everyone had 5years unlimited mileage.Yamaha would`nt be selling any other Bikes would they ? They Don`t want the secret to get out.So I think we should tell everyone what a great Bike we have

[GeorgeS]

Its the V4 Engine thats the magic !!!

Lots of leg room.

Lots of storage Space

No excessive exhaust heat.

No excessive vibration.

Decent fuel economy.

More then enough HP, without any major mods.

Engines never have a major break down.

The few items that do need fixing, can be done by the average

back yard mechanic, with an average tool box.

You can ride them for 10 hours a day for a week, they don't beat you to death.

Comfortable, ( within reason )

 

Thats a few reasons, just of the top of my head.

[James Ardrey]

I think they designed the 2nd Gen as kind of a test to see whether they could be mass marketed without lots of marketing dollars and they just didn't take hold to their liking on their own. The cost of building these machines and the unbelieveable warranty means a smaller profit margin than their other star lines. Since they went to the trouble to design this bike they will make enough to at least break even. One of the reasons they don't make any changes in the 2nd Gen. has to do with trade agreements that cause Yamaha to pay large import taxes as if they are offering a brand new motorcycle such as a cd player, abs brakes etc. At least that is what the service mgr. at my dealer told me. The dealers that have these bikes available act like they don't care if they sell one or not. For one thing they are allotted very few per year. I saw a thread a while back that told how many a dealer could have and I think it was two per yr. I know when I bought my 03 the dealer had one on the floor which I bought and one in a box to be assembled and a week later sold it to a dealership in Shawnee, Ok. Happy trails!

[BuddyRich]

Have to agree with whats been said. Its a big bike. But that V4 pushes it along great. It looks great,feels great and runs great. What else can you ask for. Kinda like my wife when we first got married. But she didn't come with a warranty.. :rotf:

I'm gonna be in it knee deep now...

[WilCruise]

V4, v4, v4!

[stardbog]

Compare to Electra Glide and Gold Wing... Equiped with same configuration as Venture, cost almost $10-$12K more. Why to waste money on brand name ,when you can have it all ( Even Better ) for less. Some of reasons:

 

Power- 98 HP is pleny

Handling ( After Tire Swap)

Comfort- Most Comfortable bike on market today with stock seat...Period

Passenger Comfort, and leg room...Same as above

Warranty.. Can't beat 5 year unlimited miles warranty

CB / Audio Built in ( No Extra cost as HD And GW charge)..

Reasonble Fuel economy. 42-50 MpG. Depend on wrist disorder

Bulletproof engine ( Detuned V-Max Config.)

some of our members have well over 100 K clock on engine

Beauty of Real Tourer look is last.

 

And Of Corse, Way Faster then 1st Gen Venture :rotf:

[WilCruise]

Compare to Electra Glide and Gold Wing... Equiped with same configuration as Venture, cost almost $10-$12K more. Why to waste money on brand name ,when you can have it all ( Even Better ) for less.

 

Yeah - I have a nice 2nd gen, a nice 1st gen, 2 parts bikes, a camper trailer AND a sidecar and I got ALL of them combined for less than the price of a decent HD tourer! That argument is the only way I get the finance committee (a.k.a. Mrs.) to put up with it. Still woulda gotten the V4 even if the HD was = priced though.

[AKRefugee]

When I bought mine I researched it very well.

Best article I found was a comparison between this ride a HD RK and the Honda Interstate. They took these bikes on a 7000 mile trip and each driver rode each of the bikes. The Venture beat all the others in all but two areas. The first was the windshield was hard to see through in rain and the second was a slight delay in acceleration when pulling out to pass. Regarding the windshield you can either get a shorter one from Yamaha or cut it down your self. As far as the delay in acceleration when passing, just plan your wrist twist about 1 to 2 seconds earlier. Oh did I mention the price. For what I have on mine I payed about half of what I would have paid for the HD. And the warranty of 5 years. Oh yeah the leg room for me at 36" inseam. And also the better half is so comfortable on this she has even dozed off back there. And finally my eyeballs are not bouncing at the end of a long ride from engine vibration. Most people by a motorcycle for image. And yes that includes many GW riders. Me, I go for best bang for the buck.

[RSTD-MN]

I really think it is all about marketing, HD has went all out on this and it shows, they sell lots of apparell and other things that says Harley. That in turn sells more bikes. You look at what harley sells for their bikes and clothing and then take a look at what Yamaha calls their line of clothing and accessory parts. That and the fact that harley still wants you to believe their bikes are AMERICAN made or assembled at least. I am hooked on the idea of having myself a Harley someday, just not going to be the touring model is all, I will leave that for the better suited bikes like Venture, which I will also have one day. I am excited to see what the venture has in store for the next model change.

 

David

[Cottonpkr]

Ditto on the Venture being a good deal and I also love to steal all the looks from folks in a crowd of Harley's.

 

Yamaha is a much better bike, and the ones that what to be noticed here, don't do it with noise, or buying a Cadilla, we do it with "CHROME". :rotf:

But wait... What's that noise Rich? Could it be a Venture V4 with aftermarket Harley RoadKing pipes? Whaat? I couldn't hear ya!

 

Believe me. All my neighbors know when I fire up the Venture!

[Ferrantelli]

I always liked the Venture classic look and decided when I was ready to upgrade from my Vulcan that would be the one. Then one day I looked on line and the 2006 Black cherry was there. One look that is all it took. I could not understand why I was drawn to the bike, was it the flowing lines?, the color?, the dash?, the old looking classic speedo?, the burl looking inner fairing?, the fact that it is a V-4?. NO it was all of the above and the Majestic simple understated ELEGANCE (unlike the loud in your face Harleys). But I have seen it once before, where?

Isn't she beatifull!!!!

http://www.motorcycleconnect.com/Yamaha/2006/Royal_Star/Royal_Star_Venture/Royal_Star_Venture_1.jpg

[Guest gregs02]

I know everybody loves the venture,hell i like it too , but its also very top heavy,,its a little under powered,,and the breaks need alot of help,,trying to stop such a heavy bike the breaks needs help,,i have to use both breaks to stop ,,it scares me sometimes,,but other than that is a great bike ,, compared to H/D elect glide it has more power,,it has a lot of room ,,and cost a lot less,,it also gets a lots of attention , but why is it hard to find custom parts for it online,,other than yamaha web site finding parts sucks !!Goldwings and H/D parts are everywhere .

[Riderduke]

You guys are all wrong. (Unless I missed it) The most special thing about owning a venture is belonging to VentureRider.org:whistling:

 

i Also like the classic look. other then the Ultra Classic:mo money: I beleive that this is the only other Full Dresser that has this look.

[Guest Saddletramp]

For a guy that is tall and lanky the Venture simply fits!!! The styling is timeless! I have sat on other brands such as Harley and Honda. Harley is made for shorter people and I don't care for the sport bike theme that the GW appears to be birthed from.