Is this a good deal?

[RobRiguez]

Hi Everyone, Ive been riding for about 20 years now and I currently have a 06 Warrior. My GF of 3 years has finally beaten me up enough that Ive decided to get a nice comfy bagger for when she wants to ride with me.

 

I found a Silver 99 (second gen?) with only 18k for $3800 including cover and some slipons to give her a bit more rumble. There are some scratches on the lower plastics, ZERO rust anywhere I can see, no cracks in any of the plastics. Comes with CB but CO says hes never used it in the 8 years he had her so no way to test if its working, Radio and speakers sound good. Tires look ok, clutch doesn't grab until lever is almost completely out but doesn't slip under full throttle either. Oil looks good but I couldn't figure out where to check the coolant. Brakes are no where near as good as on my Warrior. He says he flushed the coolant about 4 years ago but hasn't done anything with it since. Hasnt been ridden in almost 2 years but started right up with no smoke of any color for my test ride. Seems to pull just a bit at highway speed, like the right grip is pushing in ever so slightly. I noticed I had to put some pressure to keep her straight. If i let go of the bars completely at 40mph they almost instantly wobble slightly. Ive never had a bike do that so Im concerned.

 

Also never had a bike with floor boards so, I don't know if that is the issue or, if I just need more leg room but, I feel a bit cramped. I'm 6' with a 30" inseam. Is there any way to switch to pegs or push the floorboards more forward? Most Yammis can simply add a bracket and push everything out 3-5" but with the lower plastics, it doesn't seem like that would work? Can the plastics be removed?

 

How about raising the bars or shorter bars? I felt like my elbows were way too close to my body.

 

I think I covered everything, I'll try to upload a pic but she looks bone stock to me. I'm probably going to pull the trigger anyway then just deal with whatever it is but I wanted some other opinions first.

[bongobobny]

Sounds OK to me! The pull could be either loose nut on the triple tree or worn front tire. A set of longhorn highway pegs will fix your feet position. The handlebars adjust up/down. Everything is removable...

[utadventure]

I paid $3600 in Jan 2014 for my '99 with 83k on the odo.

[Motiv]

If you remove the lowers there are electrical items buried in them and the cruise control actuator.

[SilvrT]

My '06 seemed to pull a little to the right at times. Somebody said to adjust my butt a tad to the left ... it worked!

[slowrollwv]

The wobble can be from a worn tire or the steering head bearings need to be tightened. High way pegs will do the trick for your foot position. You can check the coolant level be removing the right side cover. Buy the bike you won't regret it.

[Gramps69]

Hey Rob, I also went from a Warrior to the RSV. Quite a difference. To make more room on the RSV I took the boards from the back and mounted them on the front to make more room when your feet are down. This is the first bike I have had with boards. Last week I lowered the front shocks and it handles much better now, I put the 130 Michelin on last year and that helped. I've only had this a couple years so still changing things. You will really like the bike when you get some miles on it. You can also change the seat to give you more room, the corbin seat will move you down and back. Have fun with the new ride.

[Barrycuda]

Get the bike so we can all make a list of extras and chrome from the whopping savings you'll have from buying the bike!!!

[RobRiguez]

Thank you all for the quick replies.

 

If you remove the lowers there are electrical items buried in them and the cruise control actuator.

Ooof I was hoping they were only for wind protection.

 

Hey Rob, I also went from a Warrior to the RSV. Quite a difference. To make more room on the RSV I took the boards from the back and mounted them on the front to make more room when your feet are down. This is the first bike I have had with boards. Last week I lowered the front shocks and it handles much better now, I put the 130 Michelin on last year and that helped. I've only had this a couple years so still changing things. You will really like the bike when you get some miles on it. You can also change the seat to give you more room, the corbin seat will move you down and back. Have fun with the new ride.

Im not giving up my baby. The Venture will be a stablemate (going to be an amazing feat to make room for both in the garage but come hell or high water it shall be done!)

I have a Stinger and Dual Tour for the Warrior. I like them but they are HARD. The stock seat on the Venture was so soft I felt spoiled. Guess Ill see after i get some miles on her.

 

Sounds OK to me! The pull could be either loose nut on the triple tree or worn front tire. A set of longhorn highway pegs will fix your feet position. The handlebars adjust up/down. Everything is removable...

I don't think highway pegs will do it for me. Not having my feet ready at the controls is a bit nerve wrecking. I live and commute in NJ (the highest population density in the nation along with the highest number of cars per capita in the nation=LOTS of crazy drivers always rushing). I have 3" extensions on my Warrior and I have tried putting my heels out on top of the pegs to stretch one time and within minutes I not only found one of the biggest pot holes I had ever seen but cars in the next lane were coming into mine to avoid it. Emergency brake and dip and swerve while trying to get my feet back into position on the pegs was nerve wrecking.

 

Get the bike so we can all make a list of extras and chrome from the whopping savings you'll have from buying the bike!!!

Not a big chrome guy but I'm already thinking of upgrades...better brakes/calipers/levers, stiffer fork springs, progressive rear spring, CT for the rear wheel, Bluetooth communication, antennae upgrade, heavier clutch spring, bigger speakers/new fairing, ground effects/lights, upgraded stator.

 

Im not sure if all of these are possible but, these are the ideas floating around my head anyway.

[Tisunac]

I'm 6'3" and felt similar when I first sat on my '99 Venture. The previous owner was a head shorter and everything was adjusted for a shorter rider. I've rotated handlebars higher (away from me) a bit and installed raisers. You can find them on Ebay and they don't require change of brake or throttle cables. Simple bolt on. You will need a highway pegs, even if you use them just occasionally. Butler Seat Mode helped me a lot to sit IN the seat rather than ON the seat. Rick had an accident recently so that might wait a bit but it's worth a wait.

 

Well balanced tires should take care of the pull (most of the time). Yamaha's R1 calipers are a straight swap and they worth their weight in gold. Ventureless gave me his, and I thank him for that again. It's day-and-night difference. Just got back from a 5-day, 1400 miles ride (Tail of the Dragon etc) and I probably used my rear brake a handful of times. Front brake is taking care of 90% of my breaking now. Before that, it was just the opposite and that's plain dangerous.

 

Consider installing leveling links that will raise the rear for about an inch, which helps handling at slow speeds. Also, you can replace front tire with a smaller (130) one. I just did the smaller tire (had links for a while) and I like the handling a whole lot better.

 

Don't forget that you can add air in both front forks and a rear shock. I would ride with around 35 psi in rear shock (riding mostly two-up) but that's personal preference. IMPORTANT - front forks can take max 7 psi!!! For that, you need a "special" pump, DO NOT use a compressor at home, or at the gas station. Hand-held pump only. I bought a Harley Davidson digital one, it's very precise. If you add air to the front forks, it has to be exactly the same in both forks (to avoid a wobble). Come to think of it, that might be another potential reason for the wobble you've experienced at the test ride - uneven amount of air in front forks. After links and a smaller tire, I chose to ride with no additional air in front forks. It works for me. With a good pump, you can try different settings and change them multiple times during the ride.

 

Ventureless spoke very highly of Hagon rear shock. my OEM still works fine (no leak, holding air just fine). I guess that would be a right way to go if your rear shock is shot.

 

I have an upgraded heavy duty clutch (see classified section here) and it is engaging the same way as yours - all the way at the end. It's self adjusting one and that's the way it is. No slipping though. Just very high. Takes a little adjustment in shifting "habits"....

 

I would change the oil regardless of how it looks like. Cheap prevention maintenance.

 

I have pegs on my other bike and floorboards on the Venture. It is different. Once you get used to it, it's very comfortable on long rides. It does feel like a less of a "control" compared to pegs. But you get used to it rather quickly. Once you play with a handlebars position and find the "right" one, the legs position will feel better, too.

 

Good luck installing bigger speakers. The space is really tight for anything bigger than the OEM (4"). I've replaced them with a better ones (Clarion) but still not much of a bass, mostly treble. You can install big 6x9's in the side bags but you will reduce the space in the bags. I'm still in the search of a good amp but even that won't give me more bass (or more cowbell).

 

The money deal sounds like a very good deal, to me it does. I've never used CB on my bike but I'm sure other riders would use it. Not important to me. One thing to remember - Venture is a top-heavy bike and requires an adjustment in riding habits, especially at low speeds. There are soooo many things you can do to the bike to improve it. Just check the classifieds here and you'll see what else you can install, depending of your priorities.

[uechi kid]

Just addressing the value aspect. KBB shows a retail value of $4555 and a trade in value of $$3130. These values don't take milage into consideration. there is a chart that shows how much to add or subtract for mileage. Sounds like a fair deal but it wouldn't hurt to try to negotiate.

I really like our Venture. I would consider buying another one if something happened to this one. I have added a few extras along the way to make riding long distances more comfortable. Mic mutes were a must, it allows you to mute the intercom when no one is talking . Rear suspension "dog bones" for better handling. A fuse block for electronic accessories. Highway pegs to stretch my legs. I also did a front brake up grade this winter that made our Venture stop much better than the factory setup.