Thinking about making an offer.

[BigLenny]

This bike is about 45 minutes from me and I have looked at it in person. Very clean bike that looks like it has been very well taken care of. Doesn't have one single blemmish on it. I'm pretty sure I could work a deal of an even swap or very close to it with my 2007 RSTD. It has some adds that would save me the hastle and money such as: center stand, passing lamps, Slip Streamer windshield, backrest, trunk luggage rack, auxilary plug for heated gear/battery tender. One thing that makes me wonder if a previous owner was a member here is that fact that it has E3's on it. That doesn't sem like something a regular non VR member would figure out. But, on the other hand, the antennas are on the wrong sides. The PO traded it for a used Harley Ultra.

 

I have one uh oh thing that I'm trying to sort through my brain. I asked the dealership if I could talk to the PO. They were very obliging and they called the PO. The guy told them that he didn't want to talk to me because he really didn't have an opinion on the bike because he only owned it for a month before he traded it in. What's up with that???. I dont' really care if he wants to talk to me, but why did he trade it after owning it for a month? Hmmmm. Makes me concerned that there is something wrong with the bike internally that he wasn't wanting to deal with.I don't know what I'm gonna do, but it's an extremely clean bike.

 

Any thoughts?

 

2005 Yamaha Royal Star Venture Stock: 05A009088 | Sunrise Preowned

[SilvrT]

Take it for a ride and you'll know quick enuf. After all, it's pretty low mileage so unless it's been crashed and rebuilt, if it runs and sounds like it should, I'd say low ball them and see what happens. Looks like a sweet ride to me!

[videoarizona]

Looks sweet to me too!

 

Nice.....

 

P.S. (PO probably got some ribbing from HD friends-so he sold)

[eagleeye]

What a gorgeous bike. However him only owning it for a month and not wanting to talk to you would be a big red flag if it was me.

Can you do a title search to see who has owned it. Maybe that would shed some light on it.

And of course take it for a ride.

Good luck,

[Freebird]

Looks good to me. I would take it for a ride. If the clutch basket isn't screaming, I wouldn't worry too much about anything else.

[rickardracing]

1st off the dealer had no right giving out the previous owners phone number without asking first. He was probably ticked off when you called. I know I would be. As far as owning it for a month....maybe he found something nicer. Realized that the Venture handles like a slug at low speeds compared to other bikes. I love my bike, but if I would have road the Kawasaki Voyager first, that is what would be in my garage. I am actually considering selling my 07 venture and picking up either a new old stock Voyager or just plunging down the cash on a new Indian Roadmaster. Ventures ARE nice bikes, but there are nicer rides out there.

[SilvrT]

1st off the dealer had no right giving out the previous owners phone number without asking first.

 

They didn't give out the phone number (according to the OP's post) ... the dealer called the PO

"They were very obliging and they called the PO. The guy told them that he didn't want to talk to me"

[bongobobny]

Check it over completely, but I would not be too concerned about the PO. He may have taken the dreaded H-D Kool Aid served by a friend who shamed him into trading! Maybe in a while he will regret getting rid of the Venture...

[MikeWa]

How do you get 32,000 miles in one month? There must be additional previous owners. Perhaps the dealer could put you in contact with them.

 

Mike

[cowpuc]

Oh yea baby gotta whole lot a flippin goin on,,, we are an in one door and out the other society... Look everything over real well, as long as it has a clear title and it looks/rides and feels like its the real deal - I wouldnt be afraid of it.. As with anything though, I would go over it with a fine tooth comb - looking at nuts and bolts to see if things have been replaced/repaired, just make sure it looks straight.. Could also be the very reason the guy traded it in was so he didnt have to talk to others about it.. There are people who just dont like dealing with others,, I had a friend who had a shop that all he did was handled consignment bikes... It was amazing what he made off consignments just cause people didnt want to have to talk to others...

Sure looks like a pretty bike to me Lenny BUT,, the real story can only be told by seeing it in person!!

[Chaharly]

Well I'm sold on the color

[Chaharly]

1st off the dealer had no right giving out the previous owners phone number without asking first. He was probably ticked off when you called. I know I would be. As far as owning it for a month....maybe he found something nicer. Realized that the Venture handles like a slug at low speeds compared to other bikes. I love my bike, but if I would have road the Kawasaki Voyager first, that is what would be in my garage. I am actually considering selling my 07 venture and picking up either a new old stock Voyager or just plunging down the cash on a new Indian Roadmaster. Ventures ARE nice bikes, but there are nicer rides out there.

 

Have you installed the leveling links?

[BigLenny]

1st off the dealer had no right giving out the previous owners phone number without asking first. He was probably ticked off when you called. I know I would be. As far as owning it for a month....maybe he found something nicer. Realized that the Venture handles like a slug at low speeds compared to other bikes. I love my bike, but if I would have road the Kawasaki Voyager first, that is what would be in my garage. I am actually considering selling my 07 venture and picking up either a new old stock Voyager or just plunging down the cash on a new Indian Roadmaster. Ventures ARE nice bikes, but there are nicer rides out there.

 

Rickard,

 

As SilverT pointed out, I did not talk to the PO. The dealership called him to get permission for me to talk to him. I would never ask for a dealership to give me a PO's contact info without getting permission from the person.

Your point about him finding out that the bike handles like a "slug" or something like that, might have some credence to it, but I'll never know, will I? At any rate, I will go ride the thing and make some assessments. I would like to know if it has had a new clutch put in it, but I guess I won't worry about that either.

BTW, I'm like you, I really like the look of the Voyager and know that Kawi makes good stuff. However, about a year ago my wife and I test rode a new Voyager and both she and I were stunned by how much the bike vibrated at freeway speeds, and the wind racket was very uncomfortable. After we rode the Voyager, we walked over to used showroom and test rode a 3 year old Venture and it was day and night smoother than the Voyager. Also, two of the main complaints about the Voyager is all of the plastics on the bike are very flimsy and cheap. the windshield is very flimsy and the saddle bag lids and trunk lids are really flimsy and wobbly when theyre in the open position. The other main complaint about the bike is considerable heat coming off the rear head. Kawi has tried to alleviate that by putting a fan system on it, but people say it doesn't completely get rid of the heat. Sad because the bike looks cool.

Now, the Indian Roadmaster? That dude is sweet. We test rode it in September at Bikes Blues and BBQ and WOW!

 

In the end, I am only looking at the 2005 Venture because I could possibly get it by doing an even swap for my 2007 RSTD or very close to a swap. I'm not in the new bike market right now. If I were, heck yeah, there are a number of new bikes that I would look at.

 

Thanks for the input,

 

BL

[BigLenny]

How do you get 32,000 miles in one month? There must be additional previous owners. Perhaps the dealer could put you in contact with them.

 

Mike

 

Mike,

I'm 99.99999999999% sure the 32K was put on before this last 1 month owner got it. LOL. Lets see here; if he did that, he would've been doin an Iron Butt every day, wouldn't he?

 

The dealer had no way of knowing who the POx2 was.

 

Thanks,

 

BL

[Cougar]

most likely didn't like the "Whine"

[BigLenny]

Looks good to me. I would take it for a ride. If the clutch basket isn't screaming, I wouldn't worry too much about anything else.

 

Don,

 

Thats a good thought. I'm gonna be listening closely for the ole clutch screaming. I luckily don't have that now with my RSTD and I'm not thinking I want to hafta deal with that.

[cowpuc]

What da heck,, we're all friends here so I think I will hijack another thread,,, I have never owned a Yam v-4 that didnt have a whine.. All of my 1st Gens have had the clutch whine up to around 3 grand.. I know for a fact that all the older V-Max's have it too.. I have actually liked it - gives em a sound all their own..

That said,, I KNOW lots of you guys have owned both 1st and 2nd Gens.. Is there a major difference in the "normal" everyday "whine" of the V-4's I have come to love and the "whine" of the newer 2nd Gens?? If so, maybe the gear lash is set to tight and thats what makes the whine more and also makes em slower than the 1st Gens:yikes:

Also,, I built up a Twin Cam Harley with a gear driven Super Charger once,,, talk about SING to ya!! If your sensitive to whines and whiring sounds dont ever go there!!!

[Cougar]

The major diff is that some of them make your ears BLEED... yup. really bad.

[pbjman]

I think knowing that PO only had it a month should not really matter. I would evaluate it with the same degree of scrutiny as any other used bike, and make your decision based on what the bike tells you from inspecting it and riding it. You have the advantage of being familiar with the platform and as a member here with access to all the combined wisdom and experiences posted on these forums; you know what to look out for. And due to the amount you are considering spending pull the title history.

It is fun to speculate why he only had it a month tho! My theory (knowing that he only had it for a month and traded it in on a Harley, and with the antennas on the wrong sides) would be he pulled the trunk to get the bagger look and then mixed up the antennas when he put it back on before trading it in. Or maybe it fell into his lap and he simply flipped it. Or maybe there was a problem, which is why you will inspect and ride it until you find it or are satisfied that there isn't a problem after all!

[Leland]

I wonder if the valve clearance has been checked? Due at 26,600.

[cowpuc]

I agree PB!! While history does help,, its ALWAYS best to really go over any used bike purchase with eyes wide open no matter what your told.. In the end,, its you who is going to be putting your life on the line while going down the highway on the bike...

[Brenner]

I have noted another scenario while working in a Nissan dealership about 10 years ago. A woman came in and purchased a brand new Xterra and we were told to watch what was coming in on trade. Well the detailer had to install personalized plates that read "PAYBACK" and when the delivery came we found out the new owner had her man ride in his month old Harley as the down payment. I am not making this up, you decide what happened, our local Harley dealer came in an hour or so later and picked up the bike to resell. Another possibility is that maybe someone bought his bike and the misses said either it goes or she goes, as I honestly have heard that story before too or lost their job after their purchase?. Either way it does not mean anything is wrong with the bike, ride it and let it speak for itself. If you feel it is a good deal for you and it looks to be a good bike as clean as you say it is maybe don't wait too long as when you finally decide it might not be available. Spring is coming up and someone else might take interest in it. Possibilities are endless without know first hand from the PO. Good luck.

[BlueSky]

I can't speak to the Gen 2 whine but back about 2010 I was looking at a 2002 Kawasaki Voyager. This was the older style with a 4 cylinder 1200cc engine. That thing had a major whine that really turned me off and I didn't consider buying it. It only had 32k miles on it and looked nice. The owner was asking $4k for it.

 

Then I went to the Honda Dealer in Miami and test rode a gold colored 2006 Honda Goldwing with 8k miles. It was so quiet, so smooth, so comfortable, and easy to handle in comparison to the Voyager that I was immediately in lust for it. Trouble is the dealer was asking $16,900 for it and I couldn't rationalize spending anywhere near that on a motorcycle. It took a while for the lust to subside!

[rickardracing]

Big Lenny...sorry I misread. I thought you called them. I do like the Roadmaster...............ALOT. Just do not like the price tag. Once I get the speaker lids and Stage 2 exhaust, lower windshield and other go faster items....it is pushing the 32k price. That is a lot of coin for a bike. In stock form with D404 tires the Venture is a pig at low speed handling. I switched to a little narrower front tire, went to E3's, lowered the front end by pushing the forks up 7/8" in the trees. Handles pretty good. I had the leveling links on, which raise the rear end and puts more pressure on the front tire making it turn better, but I prefer to have my feet flat on the ground. Now with the links out and the front dropped, I can stand and have about an inch clearance between the goods and the seat. I would think that if the bike rides good, tracks correctly and does not sound like it has squirrels in the clutch, it should be a decent bike. I doubt the guy that traded it in was the first owner. Like I said, he may have not liked the bike like he thought he would and got something different. I road the Voyager 3 years ago on a nice looooong test ride. I loved it. Came real close to buying one and selling the Venture.

[rickardracing]

Bluesky...I road the v-twin 1700. Loved it. I personally cannot stand a Goldwing. I just do not like the style of the bike. Nothing wrong with them, darn good bike. Just not my cup of tea.